Colombia’s death toll from a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake has risen to 314, while 262 people remain missing, according to a Wednesday report from the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD). Rescue teams are continuing searches for those unaccounted for. The earthquake struck on August 10 at 7:34 a.m. local time near San José del Palmar in the Pacific department of Chocó.

UNGRD said 4,437 people were injured and 364 survivors were pulled alive from the rubble. A total of 262,154 people have been affected. The quake, described as Colombia’s strongest of the century, originated about 110 kilometres below the surface but caused extensive damage in the western Coffee Axis region and major cities, particularly Cali and Pereira.

At least 30,664 homes were completely destroyed, 136,946 suffered structural damage and 302 buildings collapsed. Damage also affected schools, community centres, health facilities, roads, bridges, water systems and five regional airports. Remote areas of Chocó, Caldas and Quindío have been isolated by landslides, complicating aid deliveries. Authorities are marking unsafe buildings as uninhabitable, while displaced residents shelter in temporary sites or tents.

Colombia has declared three days of national mourning after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s west on Monday morning. President Abelardo de la Espriella said on Wednesday that 265 people had been killed and 496 remained missing. The epicentre was in the San Jose del Palmar area of the western Choco department.

The quake was felt across a broad western region, with major damage reported in cities including Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdo. Many buildings partially collapsed or were reduced to rubble. Rescue workers are using heavy equipment to search debris for possible survivors, while more than 70 aftershocks have been recorded, including several above magnitude 4.

During the mourning period, national flags will fly at half-mast on government buildings and Colombian embassies abroad. Authorities have taken emergency measures to coordinate rescue and relief operations, sending emergency aid and medical services to affected areas while working to restore roads and other infrastructure. The United States has announced nearly $15.5 million in assistance, while Mexico and El Salvador are also preparing to send support.

The death toll from a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake in western Colombia has risen to 265, President Abelardo de la Espriella said on Wednesday. Another 496 people remain missing as rescuers search collapsed buildings for survivors. The quake struck on Monday morning local time, with its epicentre near San Jose del Palmar in the western department of Choco.

Tremors were felt across a wide area of western Colombia, and major damage was reported in cities including Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdo. Many buildings collapsed partially or completely. Rescue teams are using heavy equipment to determine whether people remain alive beneath the rubble. More than 70 aftershocks have been recorded since the quake, including several above magnitude 4, complicating rescue operations.

Authorities have taken emergency measures to coordinate rescue and relief work, while sending emergency aid and medical services to affected areas. Work is also under way to restore damaged roads and other infrastructure. De la Espriella said the main priority was finding missing people. The United States has announced nearly $15.5 million in assistance, while Mexico and El Salvador have also moved to send aid.

The death toll from a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck western Colombia on Monday has risen to at least 224, as rescue operations continue in heavily damaged areas. Colombia’s Geological Survey said more than 70 aftershocks have been recorded nationwide since the quake. Rescue workers are searching collapsed structures for survivors, while damage has affected buildings and roads near the epicentre.

In Cali, a woman was rescued alive from a collapsed building about 30 hours after the earthquake, and a child was also pulled from the rubble of a residential building. Several people remain trapped in a collapsed building in Pereira, where rescuers and volunteers are working with cranes and fuel trucks. A fire at a prison in Buenaventura killed at least four people and left two hospitalized, according to Valle del Cauca Governor Dilian Francisca Toro.

La Italia, in San Jose del Palmar municipality, faces severe damage, water and power shortages, and isolation after 18 landslides blocked the main road toward Cartago. The United States has sent a disaster assistance team, while Mexico is preparing a 255-member search-and-rescue team pending a formal request. President Abelardo de la Espriella announced economic support for affected communities.

The United States announced a $15.5 million emergency assistance package for Colombia on Monday after a powerful earthquake killed more than 100 people in the South American country. The announcement was reported by AFP from Washington and published on August 11, 2026.

In a post on X, the US State Department said it stood with the Colombian people in prayer. It also said the United States was prepared to assist Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella.

The aid announcement came three days after de la Espriella, described in the report as supported by Washington, took office as Colombia’s president. The source did not provide details on how the emergency package would be used or further information about earthquake damage.

Colombia’s new hard-right government on Monday recognized Israel’s claim to the Golan Heights, according to a report published on August 11, 2026. The Foreign Ministry announced the decision after President Abelardo de la Espriella took office on Friday. In a statement, the government said it recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the territory and its right to self-defense against external enemies.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and annexed the area in 1981. Until Colombia’s announcement, the United States had been the only country to recognize the annexation. The United Nations considers the Golan Heights Syrian territory under Israeli military occupation. Last month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres again said the territory was part of Syria and described the Israeli occupation as completely unacceptable.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar thanked Colombia’s president for the recognition, calling him a good friend. Saar said the two had reached an understanding on the issue the day before Espriella’s inauguration in Barranquilla. During his campaign, Espriella pledged closer ties with the United States and Israel. His left-wing predecessor, Gustavo Petro, had criticized Israel’s military operation in Gaza, severed diplomatic relations with Israel, and stopped imports of Israeli weapons into Colombia.

The death toll from a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Colombia has risen to 132, with more than 480 people injured, according to the report published on August 11, 2026. The quake struck Chocó province at 7:34 a.m. local time on Monday, at a depth of about 107 kilometres near San José del Palmar. Authorities fear more people may remain trapped beneath collapsed buildings, raising the prospect of further casualties.

Tremors were felt across Colombia and in neighbouring Venezuela and Ecuador, though no tsunami warning was issued. Risaralda province, known for coffee production, was among the worst-hit areas. In Pereira and nearby districts, at least 40 people died and 65 buildings collapsed. People were feared trapped in the rubble of 15 of those structures, while a curfew was imposed in parts of Pereira until 5 a.m. Tuesday.

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national disaster situation, enabling special government powers and possible budget reallocations. More than 1,500 homes were damaged nationwide, he said. Several regional airports were affected, while Bogotá reported cracks in some buildings but no major infrastructure damage.

At least 47 people were killed after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Colombia’s Choco region on Monday, according to reports cited by Al Jazeera. The US Geological Survey and Colombia’s Geological Service said the quake hit near the municipality of San Jose del Palmar, about 400 kilometres west of Bogota. Building collapses and extensive damage were reported in several areas.

USGS data placed the earthquake’s origin about 107 kilometres below the surface. Colombia initially reported the magnitude as 6.6. The US tsunami warning system said no tsunami warning had been issued. Residents in Choco and other areas were being moved to safer locations, while rescue and emergency personnel assessed damage and responded to the disaster.

Local officials reported at least 18 deaths in Pereira, two in Manizales and at least 27 in the Valle del Cauca region. Choco Governor Nubia Cordoba said strong shaking was felt across the province and raised concern about possible aftershocks. Casualties and damaged buildings were also reported in Quibdo. People were evacuated from several buildings in Bogota, and authorities said a preliminary official damage report would be released soon.

A powerful earthquake struck several parts of Colombia at about 7:34 a.m. local time on Monday, August 10. The US Geological Survey initially measured the quake at magnitude 7.4. Its epicenter was about five kilometres east of San José del Palmar in Chocó department, with a depth of about 107 kilometres below the surface.

The US tsunami warning system listed the earthquake at magnitude 7.1, but no tsunami warning was issued. Initial reports said the tremor was felt across areas of Colombia as well as in regions near the Venezuelan border. Chocó Governor Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi said several people were injured in the departmental capital, Quibdó, where several permanent structures were also damaged.

Authorities are working to determine the full extent of the damage, the governor said. Residents have also been urged to remain alert for possible further tremors or aftershocks. Colombia is considered vulnerable to earthquakes because of its location near multiple tectonic plate boundaries and active fault lines. The Colombian Geological Service records more than 100 major destructive earthquakes in the country.

Right-wing lawyer Abelardo de la Espriyela was sworn in as Colombia’s president on Friday, taking office at age 48. The inauguration was held in the southwestern city of Cali rather than the capital, Bogota, breaking with tradition. Cali has long been one of the main centers of conflict between the government and armed groups. Espriyela won the election after pledging tougher action against armed groups, cuts of up to 40 percent in public spending, and a revival of the country’s oil and gas industry.

The choice of Cali as the inauguration venue was presented as a clear departure from outgoing left-wing President Gustavo Petro’s strategy of seeking peace through talks with armed groups. Espriyela has criticized Petro’s policy as a failure from the outset. After taking the oath, he said no strategy or activity that undermines the country’s stability would be allowed.

Espriyela also pledged to eradicate narcoterrorism and said that the path of dialogue had completely ended. Addressing Colombian businesspeople, he said his government would be their partner in investment in Colombia. He added that his administration would work to further strengthen the capacity of Ecopetrol, the state-owned oil company.

Colombia’s newly elected president, Abelardo de la Espriella, has announced plans to strengthen relations with Israel. In a statement released by his office, he confirmed that Colombia will open an embassy in Jerusalem and withdraw its participation from the ongoing genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The move is described as part of efforts to reestablish a 'historic alliance' with Israel.

The ICJ case, initiated by South Africa, accuses Israel of committing genocide during the ongoing war in Gaza. De la Espriella’s decision marks a sharp policy reversal from outgoing leftist president Gustavo Petro, who had been a vocal critic of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and an open supporter of Palestine.

The announcement signals a major shift in Colombia’s foreign policy direction, aligning the country more closely with Israel and distancing it from the previous administration’s stance on the Gaza conflict.

Nearly 100 guerrillas surrendered their weapons in a jungle area of southern Colombia’s Putumayo department, following an agreement with President Gustavo Petro’s government. The disarmament was carried out by members of the National Coordinating Committee of the Bolivarian Army, a group that split from the FARC rebels who had fought the government for nearly five decades. The event took place just three days before the country’s presidential runoff election.

The surrender is being described as the most significant achievement of Petro’s “Total Peace” initiative, which seeks to end armed conflict through negotiation and reintegration. Guerrillas dressed in camouflage placed their rifles in a large container marked with a message pledging commitment to peace. Government peace representative Armando Novoa said the move sends a powerful message to Colombian society amid ongoing tensions over war and peace.

The future of Petro’s peace policy remains uncertain, as the upcoming election will determine whether the next president continues or reverses his approach. Petro is scheduled to hand over power on August 7.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro compared Israel’s occupation to Nazi forces during a United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday. He sharply criticized Israel’s military operations in Gaza, saying thousands of people, including children, had been killed by Israeli missile strikes. Petro stated that no political or economic interests could hide this reality and warned that the world was returning to a Nazi-like era.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned Petro’s remarks, calling him an anti-Semitic president who was deliberately trivializing the memory of the Holocaust. The exchange highlighted growing tensions between Colombia and Israel over the Gaza conflict.

Colombia is scheduled to hold its presidential election on June 21, but Petro is not seeking re-election, according to the report sourced from Middle East Monitor.

Seven workers were killed in an explosion caused by methane gas accumulation at an illegal coal mine in Colombia. Authorities confirmed the incident occurred on Thursday in the center of Sutatausa city, with the first victim’s body recovered shortly after the blast and five more found on Friday, according to the National Mining Agency.

Regional governor Jorge Emilio Rey stated on social media that the death toll had risen to seven and announced that the National Mining Agency would conduct a full investigation to determine the cause of the accident. The city of Sutatausa is observing a day of mourning in memory of the victims.

Mining accidents are frequent in central Colombia, both in legal and illegal operations, often due to noncompliance with safety regulations. In May, two other explosions, including one in Sutatausa, killed a total of 13 miners.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced his support for Colombian far-right presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella ahead of the country's June 21 runoff election, according to AFP. Trump made the endorsement through a post on his Truth Social platform, describing the election as crucial for Colombia’s future and its relationship with the United States. He praised de la Espriella’s achievements and expressed honor in offering his full support.

De la Espriella unexpectedly won the first round of Colombia’s presidential election held the previous weekend. In the upcoming runoff, he will face left-wing senator Iván Cepeda. The endorsement marks a notable intervention by Trump in Latin American politics, highlighting his continued influence beyond U.S. borders.

The runoff outcome is expected to shape Colombia’s political direction and its ties with Washington, as both candidates represent sharply contrasting ideological positions.