A Quake Interrupts a New Presidency's First Week; Colombia Declares National Disaster as Cali Locks Down

People look for survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Pereira, Colombia on August 10, 2026. A powerful earthquake rocked Colombia and neighboring Latin American countries on August 10, 2026, with medical teams rushing to help victims after buildings were damaged or collapsed in several cities. The Colombian geological service and its American counterpart USGS put the magnitude at 7.4, with an epicenter 100 km (60 miles) underground in the west of the country. Colombia had initially put it at 6.6. (Credit: by Jaime SALDARRIAGA / AFP via Getty Images)

The Ground Shakes on Day Four

Four days after taking office, Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national disaster on Monday and put himself in charge of the country's emergency response after a magnitude-7.4 earthquake ripped through Colombia's Pacific and Andean regions. The quake hit at 7:34 a.m. local time Monday, Aug. 10, centered near the town of San José del Palmar in the western department of Chocó — a finding confirmed by both Colombia's national geological service and the U.S. Geological Survey. Tremors reached Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, Manizales and Pereira, and were felt across the border in Ecuador and Panama.