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Gone quiet · last update Aug 19, 2026 / Colombia

The August 2026 earthquake in Colombia and its aftermath

Overview · reviewed October 28, 2026

On August 10, 2026, a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the west of the country, collapsing buildings in cities including Cali and Pereira and killing at least 300 people.[1][2][3] Rescuers dug through rubble, some with their bare hands, as the window for finding survivors closed,[2][4] and President Abelardo de la Espriella asked President Donald Trump to suspend US to help the country recover.[3]

Read the timeline

Follow this story to see new developments when you return.

Rescuers dug through rubble, some with their bare hands, as the window for finding survivors closed,[2][4] and President Abelardo de la Espriella asked President Donald Trump to suspend US to help the country recover.[3]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2026-08-10 (UTC): 19%, 102 of 545 tracked outlets (21 left, 53 center, 28 right)Week of 2026-08-17 (UTC): 3%, 13 of 464 tracked outlets (3 left, 7 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 9 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (2 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Aug 17, 202637313 of 4643%
Aug 10, 2026215328102 of 54519%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Aug 19, 2026 · first reported · Headline from WANE Fort Wayne

    A triple crisis: Earthquake takes a heavy toll on Colombia's impoverished and neglected region

Background

In Cali a five-story residential building collapsed,[1] and one woman pulled from the rubble learned she was the sole survivor of her immediate family.[5] Pope Leo offered prayers for the victims,[6] and a false conspiracy theory blaming a research program in Alaska spread on social media.[7] The singer Shakira pledged to rebuild at least 10 schools and restore a university,[8] and the remote, impoverished Chocó region faced an especially hard recovery.[9]

Supporting stories (9)
  1. A whisper from the rubble led to baby’s rescue after Colombia earthquake
  2. Colombia's Earthquake Death Toll Approaches 300 as Search for Survivors Ends — From Grief to Grassroots
  3. Colombian president asks Trump to suspend tariffs to help earthquake recovery
  4. New Jersey mother died saving daughter in Colombia earthquake, family says
  5. Colombia’s earthquake tore apart this family with triplets. Only one survived
  6. Pope prays for victims of Colombia earthquake
  7. Conspiracy theories falsely blame Colombia earthquake on Alaska research program
  8. Shakira makes surprise visit in earthquake-damaged Colombia and commits to rebuilding schools
  9. A triple crisis: Earthquake takes a heavy toll on Colombia's impoverished and neglected region

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 9 recorded updates

August 2026

  1. A triple crisis: Earthquake takes a heavy toll on Colombia's impoverished and neglected regionHeadline from Philadelphia Inquirer · 4 outlets
  2. Shakira makes surprise visit in earthquake-damaged Colombia and commits to rebuilding schoolsHeadline from NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth · 14 outlets
  3. Colombian president asks Trump to suspend tariffs to help earthquake recoveryHeadline from KAAL Rochester · 15 outlets
  4. Colombia’s earthquake tore apart this family with triplets. Only one survivedHeadline from KEYT Santa Barbara · 8 outlets
  5. Conspiracy theories falsely blame Colombia earthquake on Alaska research programHeadline from KBRW · 8 outlets
  6. New Jersey mother died saving daughter in Colombia earthquake, family saysHeadline from ABC 13 Houston · 4 outlets
  7. A whisper from the rubble led to baby’s rescue after Colombia earthquakeHeadline from KVIA El Paso · 9 outlets
  8. Pope prays for victims of Colombia earthquakeHeadline from Aleteia · 5 outlets
  9. Colombia's Earthquake Death Toll Approaches 300 as Search for Survivors Ends — From Grief to GrassrootsHeadline from Latin Times · 101 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →