Pereira, Colombia, August 10 — At least 18 people were killed in Pereira, a city in western Colombia, after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the country on Monday, according to The New York Times.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the earthquake at around 7:34 a.m. local time, with its epicenter near San Jose del Palmar in Colombia’s Choco region, about 280 kilometers west of Bogota, at a depth of 107 kilometers, CNN reported.
Pereira, a city of around 500,000 people, lies less than 64 kilometers from the epicenter, according to The New York Times. Tremors were felt in several cities across Colombia, including the capital, Bogota, where alarms sounded and people in several buildings evacuated to the streets as a precaution.
According to CNN, the governor of Colombia’s northwestern Choco region, Nubia Carolina Cordoba Curi, confirmed that in the regional capital, Quibdo, “there are injured people and severe damage to buildings” and expressed concern about possible aftershocks.
Bogota Mayor Carlos F. Galan said there were no reports of major impacts or structural damage, although he reported “cracks in buildings” following the earthquake. He added that the city’s Institute of District Risk Management and Climate Change (IDIGER) had begun verification sweeps across all localities.
In a subsequent post on X, Galan said, “Update | Following the earthquake felt around 7:34 a.m., and after an initial sweep of the city to check, no structural damage has been reported, only some cracks that do not pose a risk to the buildings’ structures.”
He added, “We will continue patrolling Bogota to verify there are no impacts or structural damage and will keep you informed.”
Meanwhile, India’s National Center for Seismology (NCS) recorded the earthquake in Colombia at magnitude 7.3.
In a post on X, the NCS said, “EQ of M: 7.3, On: 10/08/2026 18:04:25 IST, Lat: 4.931 N, Long: 75.950 W, Depth: 73 Km, Location: Colombia.”
The earthquake comes weeks after two powerful earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela on June 24, causing widespread destruction and a reported death toll of more than 6,000. (ANI)
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