Rescue teams in western Colombia worked through the night and into a second day on Tuesday, with the death toll from Monday’s magnitude 7.4 earthquake now reported at more than 160 and expected to rise further.
Reuters put the figure at at least 164, including at least 85 in Cali alone. The Colombian Association of Capital Cities had earlier reported 132 dead and 570 injured.
What is happening on the ground?
Emergency workers, police, soldiers and volunteers dug through collapsed buildings overnight using excavators and, in places, their hands. In Cali, a city of about 2.2 million, at least 20 buildings collapsed and dozens more were left leaning or destroyed, forcing residents into the streets.
Mayor Alejandro Eder imposed a curfew from 8pm on Monday to 6am on Tuesday to clear space for rescue crews. One of the towers of the historic cathedral in Manizales has cracked apart.
| Measure | Reported figure |
|---|---|
| Dead (Reuters) | At least 164 |
| Dead (Association of Capital Cities) | 132 |
| Injured | 570 |
| Deaths in Cali | At least 85 |
| Buildings collapsed | Up to 86 |
How many died in the Colombia earthquake?
Reported death tolls from the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia on 10 August 2026 have risen through the rescue operation. Reuters reported at least 164 deaths as rescue work entered a second day on 11 August, including at least 85 in the city of Cali. The Colombian Association of Capital Cities had earlier reported 132 deaths and 570 injuries, and President Abelardo de la Espriella gave a figure of 132 dead and 572 injured. Around 1,600 homes have been damaged or destroyed and up to 86 buildings have collapsed. Five capital cities remain under red alert, the highest disaster level, and seven airports have suspended operations. Officials expect the toll to rise as rescue teams reach buildings that remain unsearched.
Why the figures differ
Several bodies are counting separately. The president, the Association of Capital Cities, regional governors and individual mayors have all issued figures, and they do not align.
Reporting from Choco, nearest the epicentre, has been slowed by communications outages, with some areas still without mobile service hours after the quake. Chocó governor Nubia Carolina Córdoba reported 12 dead and 84 injured across a largely rural department where damage is hardest to assess.
What is the wider damage?
More than 1,600 homes have been damaged or destroyed and up to 86 buildings have collapsed. Health centres, community centres, roads, aqueducts, energy and telecommunications have all been disrupted. Five capital cities remain under red alert.
Cali had begun a week-long festival of Afro-Pacific culture on Sunday, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city.
Later update
By Friday 14 August the death toll had reached at least 285, with 3,975 injured and 379 listed as missing, according to Colombia’s National Disaster Risk Management Unit. Officials formally shifted from search and rescue to recovery operations. More than 12,000 homes were destroyed and over 74,000 damaged.
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Sources for this report
The Redline News Desk
The Redline News desk files and edits world reporting. Every story carries the sources it was built from, and corrections are published on the story itself.
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