Emergency Update: The Earthquakes in Colombia
Please note that figures are expected to rise. This Emergency Update reflects the most recent information available at the time of publication.
On the morning of August 10, 2026, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia at 7:34 a.m. local time, with its epicenter recorded near San José del Palmar, a community of approximately 5,000 people in the department of Chocó. The earthquake is the most powerful to hit Colombia this century, according to the Colombian Geological Service, and its shaking was felt across much of the country and into neighboring Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. Colombia’s newly inaugurated President Abelardo De La Espriella, sworn in just days before the disaster, said he had “directly assumed leadership of the emergency response” and declared a national emergency.
The earthquake compounds an already fragile humanitarian moment for the region. Colombia was already home to nearly 7 million internally displaced people before August 10, and the communities now struck by this disaster include many who had already been displaced by armed conflict and gang violence. For Displaced International and our partner Fundación Alianza Solidarias, based in Cali, this crisis is not abstract. It is happening in the communities we serve.
Key Figures at a Glance
(Figures current as of August 16, 2026 — figures continue to rise)
- Confirmed dead: At least 294 people killed, according to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) as of August 15, 2026
- Injured: At least 700 people injured, according to President De La Espriella; as of August 16, UNGRD reports more than 4,000 people injured nationwide.
- Missing: Over 3,733 people reported unaccounted for, according to a missing persons tracking website
- Rescued: 354 people confirmed rescued by search and rescue teams
- Homes damaged or destroyed: More than 10,500 homes damaged or destroyed, with at least 150 aftershocks recorded.
- Airports suspended: Six airports closed due to damage: Quibdó, Pereira, Manizales, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura
- Cities under red alert: Pereira, Cali, Quibdó (Chocó), Manizales, and Armenia
- U.S. commitment: $15.5 million pledged by the U.S. State Department for shelter, food, protection, and earthquake assessments
Local Priorities: A Region-by-Region Account
Chocó — The Epicenter
Chocó is ground zero. The epicenter was recorded near San José del Palmar, a community of approximately 4,800 people in the Chocó region, about 250 miles west of Bogotá. Chocó is Colombia’s most biodiverse department and one of its most historically marginalized, home to large Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities with limited state infrastructure even before the earthquake. Electricity, water, healthcare, and phone service remained disrupted in several areas of Chocó near the epicenter, severely complicating rescue efforts and aid delivery.
The governor of Chocó reported injuries and “severe damage” to buildings in the department’s capital city of Quibdó, with community leader Luis Gregorio Moreno telling AFP: “We are all devastated. At this moment, there are reported deaths, dozens of wounded, but what there are most of are missing people.” The communications blackout means the true scale of damage in rural Chocó remains unknown. IRC Country Director Nicole Kast confirmed: “Our teams near the epicenter in Chocó are reporting damages to infrastructure, including to hospitals and clinics.”
Chocó’s vulnerability is not accidental. It is one of Colombia’s poorest departments, historically underserved by the state and disproportionately affected by armed conflict — meaning its communities had fewer resources to withstand this disaster and have fewer resources to rebuild from it.
Pereira — The Hardest-Hit City
Pereira, the capital of the hard-hit Risaralda region, suffered some of the most visible destruction, with entire residential blocks reduced to piles of concrete and twisted steel. Video verified by Reuters showed the city’s airport violently swaying during the quake, with large chunks of the ceiling collapsing as people took shelter.
Mayor Mauricio Salazar confirmed at least 72 deaths in Pereira alone. Sixteen people were evacuated from an aerial cable car system in Pereira after being trapped for six hours. Pereira sits in Colombia’s coffee-growing heartland, an economically vital region that was also the site of the devastating 1999 earthquake that killed nearly 1,200 people. The area’s hilly terrain and dense urban construction have historically made it particularly vulnerable to seismic damage.
Cali — Our Partner’s City
In Cali, with a population of approximately 2.2 million, at least 95 people were killed and hundreds of buildings were left leaning precariously or destroyed outright, forcing residents into the streets. Several of the top floors of one of the city’s hospitals collapsed, leaving patients trapped and forcing some 600 others to be treated on a street strewn with rubble, according to the hospital’s director. More than 4,000 people were injured, while 3,000 remained trapped in collapsed buildings, according to city officials. More than 5,000 buildings were damaged.
Scale of Destruction: What Is Needed
More than a dozen health centers and schools were damaged across the affected region. A significant portion of at least one major hospital in Cali collapsed entirely, displacing 600 patients to the street and forcing emergency triage in open air. Roads across multiple departments were reported blocked, cutting off access to affected communities and complicating the delivery of supplies.
The most urgent material needs on the ground include:
- Search and rescue equipment — tools, protective gear, lighting for night operations in collapsed structures
- Emergency medical supplies — field hospitals, medicines, wound care, and surgical capacity to replace damaged health centers
- Clean water and sanitation — water purification systems, portable latrines, and hygiene kits, particularly in Chocó where infrastructure has been severed
- Food and nutrition — emergency meal provision for displaced families, particularly children
- Temporary shelter — tents, tarps, and emergency housing materials for the estimated 5,000+ households with damaged or destroyed homes
- Communications equipment — for Chocó and rural communities still cut off from rescue coordination
Amplifying Local Voices
“Our building has basically been left in ruins, and the building next to ours? Completely collapsed,” said Álvaro López, cradling his dog as he watched rescue teams search the rubble in Cali.
Carmen Yasmin García, 43, a Cali resident who volunteered with rescue teams on the day of the earthquake, reported that her group had freed seven people from a collapsed building, but four others and a dog remained trapped. “A moment ago there was scratching, but now we can’t hear anything,” she said.
Community leader Luis Gregorio Moreno in Quibdó described the scale of what his community is facing: “We are all devastated. There are reported deaths, dozens of wounded — but what there are most of are missing people.”
Fundación Alianza Solidarias — Displaced International’s partner organization in Cali — is actively mobilizing through its network. Follow its response directly on Instagram at @f.alianzasolidarias. Any donation link on its social media account is verifiable and safe to use.
How to Help: Current Donations and Aid Efforts
The United States has committed $15.5 million to Colombia for shelter, food, protection, and earthquake assessments, the State Department confirmed. World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés confirmed his disaster-relief network has been “activated” to deploy emergency food aid, with teams focusing on Chocó, Cali, Pereira, and Manizales. PAHO/WHO is providing technical cooperation to Colombian authorities in support of the health response.
Organizations currently responding on the ground:
- GlobalGiving has created a dedicated Colombia Earthquake Relief Fund supporting immediate needs — medical care, food, clean water, temporary shelter, and hygiene supplies — as well as longer-term rebuilding.
- World Central Kitchen is deploying meals to affected communities in Chocó, Cali, Pereira, and Manizales alongside local partners.
- All Hands and Hearts has a disaster relief team on the ground supplying local search-and-rescue crews with tools and protective gear.
- Direct Relief is mobilizing medical aid and working with in-country health partners to address immediate needs.
- UNICEF is scaling up its response to support affected children and families in Chocó and Buenaventura, where thousands of people, including children, have been affected.
- Fundación Alianza Solidarias (@f.alianzasolidarias) — DI’s partner in Cali — is coordinating community-level responses for displaced and vulnerable women and families. Follow their page and support their work directly.
A Message from Displaced International
Local support remains crucial to sustaining relief and rebuilding efforts for those affected by the disaster. Donations and public awareness cannot waver after the immediate crisis, and Displaced International recognizes and supports the civic duty and resilience shown across Colombia. Connecting with on-the-ground first responders and channeling continued funding through secure international branches remain essential pillars of support. In Cali, schools and businesses are serving as donation centers, theaters are being made available as temporary shelters, and trucks are carrying donations to regions with little or no access to communications. Chocó, a department in Colombia’s Pacific region and at the center of the disaster, requires immediate action and sustained visibility so that resources continue reaching communities vulnerable to the ongoing crisis.
“Colombia’s doubly displaced must not be forgotten twice. This earthquake will deepen the suffering and vulnerability of displaced people, including Venezuelan refugees in hard-hit host communities. The world must act now and sustain aid to those most at risk,” said Ambassador Ashraf Haidari, DI Founder and President.
This emergency update was prepared by Luisa Sinisterra, Displaced International’s Research and Advocacy Intern covering Latin America. Figures are current as of August 16, 2026, and will be updated as the situation develops.
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