The death toll continues to rise as rescuers enter their second day of searching for survivors amid the rubble after a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia.
The earthquake hit just after 7:30 a.m. local time on Aug. 10, with an epicenter near San José del Palmar in western Colombia, and its impacts were felt in cities around the country. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, an estimated 10.5 million people felt shaking. Multi-story buildings and homes were sent tumbling, trapping people underneath debris.
At least 164 people have been confirmed dead, according to authorities in multiple cities. Scores more were injured.
Police, soldiers and volunteers have been combing through wreckage. Overnight, they used excavators and sometimes
their bare hands to search for survivors.
Death toll continues rising
The death toll rose to over 160 as of the morning of Aug. 11, as crews continue to search.
At least 85 people have been confirmed dead in Cali, about 150 miles south of where the earthquake was centered, Mayor Alejandro Eder said. Eder said more than 800 others are injured.
In Pereira, capital of the Colombian state of Risaralda, authorities said 66 were dead.
In Choco, the sparsely populated province where the earthquake was recorded, 13 were reported dead.
Search and rescue teams hope for survivors amid the rubble
People remain trapped in debris, and teams have been working through the night looking for survivors.
Eder, the mayor of Cali, said in a post to social media that at least 25 people were trapped under a building that had completely collapsed. He posted video to social media showing the response at sites with the mangled remains of buildings fallen into streets.
The responders won't rest until they find all the city's residents, Eder said.
#FuerzasQueSalvanVidas | El @COL_EJERCITO realiza labores de remoción de escombros y limpieza en las estructuras afectadas por el terremoto registrado este lunes 10 de agosto en la ciudad de Cali.
— Mindefensa (@mindefensa) August 11, 2026
El Comando de @Ingenieros_EJC desplegó cinco pelotones hacia Chocó, Valle del… pic.twitter.com/9dMfkg0i5P
Carmen Yasmin Garcia, 43, a Cali resident volunteering with rescue teams, told Reuters on Aug. 10 that her group helped free seven people from one collapsed building, but they were still working to free four people and a dog trapped within.
"A moment ago there was scratching but now we can't hear anything, we still have faith that the dog is alive and we can get these people out," Garcia told Reuters. "We need people with sticks and spades, the more people lending a hand the better."
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Death toll rises after 7.4 Colombia earthquake, rescuers search rubble
