A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday morning, causing parts of Pereira's Matecaña International Airport to collapse and leaving at least 111 people dead across multiple cities . Terrifying footage from the airport shows ceiling panels crashing down and the terminal shaking violently as passengers scrambled for safety .
The quake struck at 7:34 a.m. local time, with its epicentre near San José del Palmar in the Chocó region, approximately 400 kilometres from Bogotá . The tremor, recorded at a depth of about 107 kilometres, was felt hundreds of kilometres away in the capital and even in neighbouring Ecuador and Venezuela .
At Pereira's Matecaña International Airport, eyewitness footage shows extensive structural damage, with debris scattered across the waiting areas and parts of the terminal ceiling collapsing . One passenger, who filmed from inside the terminal, described the moment as terrifying, saying, "For a moment I thought this was it. Everything broke, everything fell apart" . Airport operations have been suspended indefinitely, with authorities conducting structural assessments .
Scroll to load tweet…
Colombia's civil aviation authority confirmed that at least six airports have halted operations due to earthquake damage, including terminals in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura . The closures have disrupted air travel across the region, with officials urging passengers to monitor official channels for updates .
Beyond the airport, the earthquake has caused catastrophic damage across several provinces. In Cali, Colombia's third-largest city, at least 20 buildings collapsed, with people reportedly trapped inside . A four-storey building in Quibdó also crumbled, and a university hospital in Pereira was seen collapsing in viral footage . The historic Cathedral Basilica in Manizales suffered partial collapse onto its nave .
President Abelardo De La Espriella declared a national state of emergency and personally assumed leadership of the emergency response . The government has deployed military search-and-rescue units, canine teams, and emergency personnel to assist with rescue operations . The governor of Chocó province reported injuries and significant damage to buildings in the capital Quibdó .
