7.4 magnitude earthquake strikes western Colombia, at least 18 killed

The US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the quake at around 7:34 am local time with epicentre near San Jose del Palmar in Colombia's Choco area, around 280 kilometres west of Bogota, at a depth of 107 kilometres, CNN reported.

Pereira, a city of around 500,000 people, lies less than 64 km from the epicentre, 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 area of Choco, 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 informed that there were no reports of impacts or structural damage, though he reported "cracks in buildings" as a result of the earthquake.

He added, "@IDIGER begins verification sweep across all city localities."

In a subsequent post on X, Galan said, "Update | Following the earthquake felt around 7:34 am, 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."

https://x.com/CarlosFGalan/status/2086808480116068858

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, 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, that caused widespread destruction with death toll of over 6000. (ANI)