Climate

Colombia Earthquake Kills at Least 20 as Rescuers Race to Free Trapped Victims

Md.Moshail Ahmed

August 10, 2026

A powerful Colombia earthquake struck the country’s central coffee-growing region, leaving at least 20 people dead and dozens more injured or trapped under collapsed structures. Municipal emergency officials confirmed that eighteen fatalities occurred in the western city of Pereira, where several commercial and residential buildings sustained severe structural failure. Meanwhile, two additional deaths were reported in neighboring Manizales as search-and-rescue teams deployed heavy machinery to clear debris and locate survivors. (To review regional seismic activity and disaster preparedness frameworks, explore our internal Latin America Disaster Management Tracker (report).

Devastating Impact Across Pereira and Manizales

The violent tremors struck early in the day, triggering landslides along mountain corridors and severing power and water lines across Risaralda and Caldas departments. Furthermore, local fire departments and civil defense units rushed to several collapsed apartment blocks in downtown Pereira, where emergency callers reported people trapped under concrete slabs.

Colombia Earthquake Emergency Response Sequence

(Deployment sequence following the central seismic event)

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Powerful Seismic Tremors

(Severe ground shaking impacts Risaralda and Caldas departments)

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Structural Collapses & Landslides

(At least 20 killed; major buildings collapse in Pereira while landslides hit Manizales)

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Deployment of Search & Rescue Operations

(Civil defense and sniffer dog units mobilize to locate trapped survivors)

Because secondary aftershocks continue to shake the mountainous region, authorities warned residents in compromised buildings to evacuate immediately to open municipal assembly points.

“Our highest priority right now is locating survivors beneath the rubble in Pereira. Emergency teams are working around the clock across affected zones.”

—Civil Defense Coordinator, Colombian National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD)

Regional Emergency Declarations and Rescue Efforts

Meanwhile, Colombian President Gustavo Petro instructed the military and national disaster response agencies to establish an emergency airlift corridor to supply medical facilities in Pereira and Manizales. In addition, hospitals across the Coffee Axis ( Eje Cafetero ) region have declared a red alert to process trauma victims transferred from collapsed site zones.

As search operations intensify, civil protection agencies continue assessing regional infrastructure, including bridges, highways, and mountain tunnels, to ensure safe transport for emergency supply convoys.

Earthquake Parameter / Metric	Incident Details & Regional Impact
Primary Impact Zone	Pereira (Risaralda) and Manizales (Caldas), Colombia.
Confirmed Fatalities	At Least 20 (18 in Pereira, 2 in Manizales).
Emergency Status	Red Alert activated across Eje Cafetero hospitals regional.
Operational Priority	Heavy debris clearing and urban search-and-rescue (USAR).