Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake Hits Colombia, Pereira Among the Worst Hit

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia at 7:34 a.m. on Monday 10 August 2026. The epicenter was near San José del Palmar, Chocó, at a depth the Servicio Geológico Colombiano puts at 96 km and the USGS puts at 110 km. It is the largest seismic event recorded in Colombia this century, and it was felt from Bogotá to the Pacific coast. Dozens of aftershocks followed the same day.

Updated 3 October 2026. The UNGRD’s report of 3 September counted 331 deaths, 4,519 injured and 122 people still missing, with 466,606 people affected across 498 municipalities in 16 departments. It recorded 36,336 homes destroyed and 709 buildings collapsed, and said the figures are still being consolidated.

In Pereira, Matecaña International Airport reopened to commercial flights on Tuesday 25 August. Only the first floor of the terminal is in use, passengers enter through the control tower side, and only ticketed travelers are allowed inside. Avianca restarted flights from Bogotá on 26 August and from Medellín on 27 August.

Public schools reopened in the week of 31 August on an alternating schedule for about 58,000 students, with in-person classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the schools cleared for use. The temporary pico y placa has ended: since Monday 28 September the usual scheme is back in Pereira and Dosquebradas, two plate digits per weekday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., with electric and hybrid cars exempt. As of early September, Megabús was running a reduced plan and its Ruta 2 through the city center was suspended because conditions were not yet safe, so check Megabús before relying on it.

Damaged buildings are the main remaining risk. On 1 October a building at Carrera 9 with Calle 12, declared uninhabitable after the earthquake, collapsed; police and rescue crews pulled two people out alive, and searched for a possible third. Stay out of buildings marked unsafe and keep clear of demolition sites. If you need emergency help, call 123, or 119 for Bomberos de Pereira.

Sources: UNGRD figures via Infobae, 3 Sept, La Patria on the airport, Aviacionline on Avianca, Eje21 on schools, Risaralda Hoy on pico y placa, El Expreso on Megabús, El Heraldo on the 1 October collapse.

Source: Alcaldía de Pereira