Conflict · Colombia · Archive7.4 Quake Hits Colombia: 3,000 Missing as Death Toll JumpsAired August 11, 2026 at 2:50 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:01More than 3,000 [music]0:02people are still missing after a 7.40:04magnitude earthquake struck western0:06[music] Colombia on Monday near San Jose0:08del Palmar in Choco with search teams0:11[music] working through rubble as the0:12scale of loss comes into focus. At least0:15111 people were dead as of Monday and at0:17least [music]0:18179 as of Tuesday. A 68 person gap in0:21one day that shows how fast the count is0:23moving and how hard verification is in0:25isolated ground. More than 3,000 remain0:27unaccounted for while rescue teams dig0:29for those still trapped.0:32Around 1,600 buildings were reported0:34damaged or collapsed with destruction0:36concentrated in cities and entire0:38sections of smaller communities erased.0:41In Pereira, at least 58 buildings0:43collapsed, and in Cali, at least 400:45collapsed, leaving thousands without0:46intact homes and families waiting at the0:48edges of the rubble. In El Cairo, a town0:50of 7,080% of the community was damaged.0:55The epicenter was near San Jose del0:57Palmar in Choco with the heaviest damage1:00stretching from Choco's capital Quibauo1:02south through Cali Pereira and1:04Manazales. The quake hit 3 days after1:06President Abalardo Da Espriella was1:08sworn in on Friday. He mobilized the1:10entire military and police apparatus1:12deploying to Quibdo with engineers and1:14search dogs to reach cutoff communities1:16in Choco where roads and communications1:19narrow quickly. Outside support is now1:21committed alongside that mobilization1:23[music] with $155 million from the US1:26State Department for emergency shelter,1:28[music] food, and other aid to stabilize1:30shelter and supply lines. This account1:32draws on a single broadcast transcript1:34that has not yet received broader1:36independent confirmation. And with a1:38town 80% damaged and more than 3,0001:40[music] still unaccounted for, the1:42decisive question is whether the full1:44deployment and aid can reach remote,1:46heavily collapsed areas in time before1:47the missing count hardens into confirmed1:49dead. For more stories that matter,1:52[music] like and subscribe.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗