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.

Pereira is among the hardest hit cities. The city declared calamidad pública and urgencia manifiesta, and at least 65 buildings collapsed. As of 12 August the Alcaldía reported 243 people rescued and 279 transferred to medical centres, with 17 search-and-rescue dogs working the rubble. Matecaña International Airport is closed to commercial flights after its terminal roof came down, and only state, medical and humanitarian aircraft are being handled. Megabús began a phased restart on Saturday 15 August, running 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the Ruta 1 trunk only, seated passengers only and at reduced speed; several feeder routes and the Dosquebradas trunk stayed suspended. Conventional yellow buses and taxis have run throughout. Power was roughly 75 percent restored by the night of 10 August, with Centro, Villa Verde, Samaria and Pinares deliberately held off for safety, and 77 percent of Risaralda’s mobile base stations were out of service on 11 August.

Casualty counts are still moving and official sources disagree. The national government reported 240 deaths on 12 August while regional authorities counted higher, and figures published on 10 August alone ranged from 111 to more than 250. Treat any single number you see as a snapshot, and check who published it and when.

The curfew decreed for Centro, Comuna Universidad and the Subcentro of Comuna Cuba is over. It ran nightly through Friday 14 August and was not renewed. The private-vehicle ban that replaced it ended at 8 p.m. on Monday 17 August. Since Tuesday 18 August, Pereira and Dosquebradas run a joint temporary pico y placa from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.: plates ending 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8 are off the road Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and plates ending 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 are off Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Hybrids and electric cars are included. Motorcycles are temporarily exempt. Classes are suspended until further notice. If you need emergency help, call 123, or 119 for Bomberos de Pereira.

Source: Alcaldía de Pereira