Strong earthquake in Colombia and Ecuador as officials report deaths, injuries and collapsed buildings

DEVELOPINGUpdated 8 minutes agoLatin AmericaLatin AmericaStrong earthquake in Colombia and Ecuador as officials report deaths, injuries and collapsed buildingsThe 7.4-magnitude earthquake that hit about 250 miles west of Bogotá has resulted in serious damage with people trapped inside buildings, according to the mayor of Cali, Colombia.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleSearch for survivors underway after 7.4-magnitude earthquake hits Colombia02:39Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleAug. 10, 2026, 9:32 AM EDT / Updated Aug. 10, 2026, 12:50 PM EDTBy Nicole Acevedo and Maya RosenbergOfficials in Colombia are reporting dozens deaths, injuries, people trapped inside collapsed buildings and serious damage after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake shook western Colombia and the region Monday morning.The quake’s epicenter was reported in the municipality of San José del Palmar in the department ​of Chocó. In Valle del Cauca, about 254 miles south of Chocó, Gov. Dilian Francisca Toro said “the situation is serious.”She reported the deaths of 27 people across Valle Del Cauca, including three children. Speaking from the University Hospital of the Valley, Toro said that the facility suffered “structural collapses” and that rescue and evacuation operations were underway.In Chocó, Gov. Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi said on social media that injuries and serious damage to buildings have been reported in the capital city of Quibdó, about 188 miles northwest of the reported epicenter.“We are already conducting a damage assessment to issue the first official report,” Córdoba-Curi wrote on X in Spanish.As of 10:43 a.m., Córdoba-Curi reported four deaths and 69 people injured in Chocó.Add NBC News to GoogleSearch for survivors underway after 7.4-magnitude earthquake hits Colombia02:39Alejandro Eder, mayor of Cali, said that at least 20 buildings have collapsed in the city “with people trapped inside.” Emergency response teams have already begun to...