What Happened in Colombia's Big Earthquake — and What Comes Next

One week after a powerful earthquake hit western Colombia on August 10, 2026, the country has moved from searching for survivors to helping people who lost their homes and starting to rebuild. At least 289 people are confirmed dead and 4,187 injured, according to the latest government figures reported by Al Jazeera. Reuters placed the death toll at approximately 290, noting that search teams were still combing rubble nearly a week after the quake.

The earthquake started near a small town called San Jose del Palmar, in Colombia's Pacific region. It damaged fifteen of Colombia's thirty-two provinces and badly hit several cities, including Pereira, Quibdo, and Cali. The damage is enormous: 127,557 homes damaged and 26,945 destroyed, along with 285 health centres and 2,838 schools. Important infrastructure was also hit hard, with 407 roads, 92 water supply systems, 44 bridges, and five airports damaged Al Jazeera.

In Cali, the earthquake caused two major hospitals to collapse. The Clinica Nuestra private hospital partially gave way, and the University Hospital of the Valle Evaristo Garcia collapsed entirely. The seven-storey Vanessa apartment building also collapsed on August 10, and no survivors were found there. Search and rescue operations at the Vanessa Building were suspended on Friday, with body recovery beginning, according to Enrique Zapata. Sergeant Joel Bustamente led the Bogota Fire Department's team sent to Cali. Across all affected areas, Colombian emergency teams saved 354 lives in the first week.

There is confusion about how many people are still missing. Colombian government figures counted 143 people unaccounted for as of Sunday night. But an unofficial online database called Colombia Te Busca, which means "Colombia is looking for you," put the number at more than 3,000 Al Jazeera. Reuters separately reported that hundreds remained missing nearly a week after the quake, with hope for additional survivors fading Reuters.

Rebuilding will be very expensive. Colombia's Ministry of Finance estimates the rebuilding effort at US$6,350 million. That is roughly 1% of GDP, which is the total value of everything a country produces in a year. The government will need to adjust its national budget to pay for it Infobae. President Abelardo De La Espriella announced on August 12 that earthquake response funds would go toward rebuilding hospitals, schools, and buildings. He later said that all rebuilding needs for Pereira would be included in an Economic Emergency decree, a special measure that lets the government skip its usual spending rules to act faster Presidency of Colombia.

On August 13, the government and the construction sector launched a national plan to rebuild damaged homes, providing subsidies and machinery. The president also gave a formal statement to media on the reconstruction plan, published on the presidency's official website on August 16 Presidency of Colombia.

Even as the crisis unfolded, leadership was changing. President De La Espriella inaugurated David Tamayo as the new director of UNGRD, Colombia's National Disaster Risk Management Unit, on August 12, with the earthquake response as his first responsibility UNGRD. UNGRD also announced it is using satellite technology to get a better picture of the damage across the affected zone.

International help has started arriving. The non-profit Direct Relief organized emergency flights carrying medical supplies and blood units Direct Relief. U.S. and local organizations were collecting donations for recovery efforts, according to Associated Press reporting AP via Fox59.

There is also a broader regional comparison. Reuters reported that devastating earthquakes striking weeks apart in Venezuela and Colombia exposed sharply different government capacities to respond to disaster, drawing a contrast in rescue efforts between the two countries Reuters.

The shift from rescue to recovery is a defining moment. With 143 people officially missing and unofficial databases suggesting the number could be far higher, the gap between what the government reports and what people are experiencing on the ground will likely shape how much the public trusts the rebuilding process. The US$6.35 billion price tag forces tough financial decisions: the Finance Ministry must rework a budget already headed to Congress, and the Economic Emergency mechanism for Pereira means normal spending rules are being set aside to move faster. How transparently those emergency powers are used, and whether satellite-based damage assessment can produce an accurate picture quickly enough to guide where the money goes, will determine whether this recovery narrows or widens the trust gap between affected communities and the government in Bogota.