Situation update
Colombia earthquake: what we know on August 11
Local tolls remain provisional and cover different areas while search operations continue.
Open the situation updatePriority file · August 10, 2026 earthquake
Colombia earthquake: news, rescue operations and consequences
An evolving file for confirmed updates, context on affected areas and essential safety advice.
Main developing event
Continuous situation update
Main developing event
Event timeline
The newest information appears first. All times are Colombia time.
The president presents a provisional national toll in Pereira
Published at 11:55:33 a.m., the briefing attributed to the president reports 181 deaths, 2,595 injured people and 195 missing people. These figures remain separate from earlier local aggregates.
A magnitude 3.8 aftershock temporarily interrupts rescue work in Cali
The SGC sets the event time at 10:43:39 a.m. near San José del Palmar. EL PAÍS reports it was felt around 11:02 a.m. and prompted a temporary evacuation at Los Cámbulos. Retrospective addition.
A local aggregate reaches 224 deaths without national consolidation
EL PAÍS publishes at 7:39 a.m. a total compiled from local reports. It must not be merged with the national toll presented later. Retrospective addition.
National power demand recovers while Quibdó remains without electricity
Semana publishes XM data at 6:15 a.m. showing recovery to 99% of national demand; Dispac still reports a total outage in Quibdó and sixteen other municipalities. Retrospective addition.
Searches continue under the threat of aftershocks
Families remain outdoors while some operations pause for safety.
The SGC counts 47 aftershocks since the main quake
The strongest reaches magnitude 4.8. Discovered on August 11, this information is added at its historical time.
Specialist teams converge on affected sites
Firefighters, health workers, canine teams and volunteers reinforce the searches.
A national disaster is declared
The government organises the national response as local reports reveal the scale of the crisis.
Evacuations, collapses and first inspections
Hospitals, public buildings, roads and airports begin safety checks.
The main shock strikes western Colombia
The magnitude 7.4 earthquake is located near San José del Palmar, at a reported depth of around 100 kilometres.
Pereira · August 10, 2026
Private media received from Pereira
Two videos filmed in the region and one private photograph, stored locally and published with their authors’ permission.
Colombia
Affected areas
The map connects the epicentral area and the main cities covered in this file.
Priority file · August 10, 2026 earthquake
Investigations, explanations and advice
Ten stories connected to the live timeline, covering buildings, networks, rescue work, territories and travel.
The first 24 hours: a night spent searching for survivors
From the 7:34 a.m. shock to the searches carried out through the night.
Read article →From Chocó to the Coffee Region: cities and fractures exposed
A human map of the impact, from the epicentral area to major cities.
Read article →
Why the ground shook so far away and for so long
Magnitude, depth, subduction and site effects explained without feeding rumours.
Read article →Buildings and hospitals: what seismic standards can save
Older structures, informal construction and the life-saving role of collapse-prevention standards.
Read article →Why did so many buildings fail? Questions the earthquake demands
Permits, soil studies, plans, construction records and inspections an inquiry must obtain.
Read article →Phones, electricity and roads: when vital networks falter
Interdependent infrastructure that must be restored carefully.
Read article →Rescue, reconnect and help: solidarity in the hardest hours
Neighbours, firefighters, canine teams and health workers form a chain of assistance.
Read article →Aftershocks and travel: stay cautious without panicking
Essential safety actions and checks before any journey.
Read article →The earthquake is the new government’s first crisis test
Disaster decree, deployments, fairness for Chocó and oversight of public money.
Read article →