Rescue teams search for survivors as Colombia earthquake death toll climbs

Nexus Europa Newsroom
Posted Aug 18, 2026, 06:30 PM UTC · In the digest of 2026-08-18-1830
Rescue teams search for survivors as Colombia earthquake death toll climbs
Photo: Ziarul de Gardă

Emergency teams in Colombia are searching for survivors beneath rubble following a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that has killed scores of people.

Search and rescue operations across western Colombia have intensified under a national state of emergency following a magnitude 7.4 earthquake.

Casualty figures continue to rise as emergency teams reach damaged areas, with media reports citing between 132 and 164 fatalities and hundreds injured. The tremor, centred near San José del Palmar at an estimated depth of 107 kilometres, brought down dozens of buildings and was felt across the border in neighbouring Ecuador.

Emergency responders and military personnel are working through debris in an effort to locate survivors trapped beneath collapsed infrastructure. Authorities caution that the casualty count may rise further as access to isolated communities improves and shelter operations for displaced residents expand.

Sources: Adevărul, Digi24, HotNews, Moldova1, Ziarul de Gardă.

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