A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck near San José del Palmar in Colombia's Chocó province on August 10 at 07:34 local time. The quake's epicenter was about 5 km east of San José del Palmar at a depth estimated between 96 and 110 km [1, 2, 3, 4].

The tremor was widely felt across western Colombia, including Bogotá, Cali, Manizales, Pereira, Medellín, Armenia, Cartago, Buenaventura, and extended into neighboring countries Ecuador, Venezuela, and Panama [1, 5, 2, 3, 4, 6].

Extensive structural damage was reported in multiple cities. At least 20 to 61 buildings collapsed across Cali, Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, and others. Cali's mayor, Alejandro Eder, said, "Residents of Cali, we currently have at least 20 collapsed structures in the city with people trapped inside; we are already managing this emergency alongside all of Cali's rescue agencies" [2, 7, 8, 9, 10]. Pereira's mayor described the situation as critical [7].

Rescue teams worked to free people trapped under rubble amid ongoing aftershocks. Chocó Governor Nubia Carolina Córdoba said, "We have just experienced a severe seismic event in the department of Choco. We are concerned about aftershocks," and confirmed serious damage and casualties in Quibdó, the provincial capital [1, 11, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10].

The earthquake killed at least 111 people, including 27 in Valle del Cauca, 40 in Risaralda, 18 in Pereira, 12 to 18 in Chocó, and 2 in Manizales, with dozens more injured [5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 6]. Governor Juan Diego Patino of Risaralda noted "serious damage to some buildings in Pereira" [4].

Colombia’s civil aviation authority reported damage at 6 to 7 regional airports, including those in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, Buenaventura, and Cali. Flights were suspended as assessments continue [1, 7, 8, 9, 10].

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national state of emergency, took charge of the government’s response, and traveled to the hardest-hit areas. He said, "You are not alone. The state is present and taking action" [12, 9, 10].

The quake occurred less than two months after twin 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes devastated northern Venezuela, killing over 6,000 people [1, 2, 12, 6].

Rescue and damage assessment efforts continue across the affected regions as of August 13, with emergency services focused on saving lives and restoring critical infrastructure [7, 8, 9, 10].