WOLA Stands with Colombia After Devastating 7.4 Magnitude Earthquake 

Washington, D.C. — August 10, 2026 

Earlier today, a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Colombia near San José del Palmar, Chocó, causing significant damage and loss of life across the region. 

The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) expresses our solidarity with the Colombian people following this devastating earthquake, and with all those searching for loved ones, working to free people trapped in the rubble, and confronting the loss of homes, livelihoods, and community infrastructure. 

The shaking was felt across most of the country, including Bogotá, Cali, Pereira, Manizales, and Quibdó, as well as parts of Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. Initial reports indicate significant damage in Chocó and the Coffee Region, with injuries, fatalities, and major disruptions to transportation and infrastructure. In Cali, at least 20 structures have collapsed, with people reported trapped in the rubble. Pereira, Manizales, and Quibdó have also suffered building collapses and serious damage, and airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura have suspended operations. The response remains in the search and rescue and damage assessment stage. 

Chocó is among Colombia’s most historically marginalized departments, long affected by poverty, armed conflict, and limited state presence. A humanitarian and reconstruction response to this disaster must account for these pre-existing vulnerabilities and ensure that emergency assistance reaches rural, Afro-Colombian, and Indigenous communities in Chocó with the same urgency as it reaches larger cities. 

The Colombian government has ordered a Unified Command Post to be established in Chocó to coordinate the response, and has directed the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) to assess damage, casualties, and needs for a national emergency response. We urge the Colombian government to act swiftly to save lives still at risk, and to ensure that the humanitarian and reconstruction response that follows is comprehensive, transparent, and tailored to the specific needs of each affected region. 

We also encourage the United States and the broader international community to offer Colombia the support it needs in this crisis — including search-and-rescue assistance, emergency medical resources, and humanitarian funding — and to sustain that support through the longer reconstruction effort ahead. 

WOLA will continue to monitor the situation as it develops, and we reiterate our solidarity with all those affected.