Colombia Earthquake: Rescuers Race Against Time

At least 132 people are confirmed dead and more than 570 injured after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck San Jose del Palmar in Colombia's Chocó province, with rescue teams still pulling survivors from the rubble of collapsed buildings across several major cities.

The quake — the most powerful to hit Colombia this century, according to The Guardian — had its epicentre near the Pacific Coast but sent shockwaves hundreds of kilometres inland, causing structural damage in Cali, Pereira, and Bogotá. At least 1,500 buildings were damaged, with dozens collapsing entirely. Search teams and civilians worked through the debris with their hands in scenes that rescuers described as chaotic but determined.

The death toll has climbed steadily since the quake struck, and Colombian authorities have warned that the number will rise further as crews reach structures that have not yet been fully searched. The country's civil protection agency confirmed that the magnitude and shallow depth of the tremor — centred in a mountainous, poorly connected region — complicated the early emergency response.

What makes this disaster particularly cruel is the geography: Chocó is one of Colombia's most isolated and underfunded provinces, where road infrastructure was already fragile before the ground moved. Getting heavy rescue equipment into the worst-affected zones has proven as difficult as the search itself.

International aid offers began arriving within hours, per the BBC.

The rubble is still shifting.