On a Monday morning in August 2026, the earth beneath western Colombia moved with a force not felt in that country this century — a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that killed at least 111 people and left dozens more buried beneath the ruins of buildings, bridges, and a cathedral's fallen tower. The disaster arrived just days into the presidency of Abelardo De La Espriella, pressing upon a new government the oldest and most unforgiving test of leadership: to act with clarity when the ground itself refuses to hold still. Colombia, long acquainted with tremors along the Pacific Ring of Fire, now confro
Colombia's strongest quake in century kills 111, new president declares emergency
At least 111 people killed and 87 injured with dozens of collapsed buildings trapping survivors under rubble across western Colombia.