A violent earthquake shook central Colombia this morning, bringing destruction and fear to communities near and far. At 10:47 a.m. local time, the ground beneath Bogotá trembled violently, sending shockwaves across regions from Villavicencio to Medellín and as far as Cali. The 6.3-magnitude quake was brief — less than a minute — but its impact was massive.
Officials confirm multiple deaths and dozens injured as rescue workers race to reach those trapped under collapsed buildings and debris. The epicenter was located near Villavicencio, about 80 km southeast of Bogotá, in a region prone to seismic activity. Witnesses reported a loud roar just before the quake hit — a warning no one could ignore. Walls cracked, windows shattered, roads split open as people fled with children and pets in hand.
In Bogotá, a 12-storey apartment building on Avenida Caracas partially collapsed, leaning alarmingly against a neighboring structure. Balconies were torn off, steel beams exposed, and dust clouds rose high into the air. Rescue crews arrived quickly, forming human chains to pull survivors from the rubble, while emergency medics treated the injured in triage tents set up nearby.
“It felt like the end of everything,” said María López, who was inside a nearby building. “The floor rolled beneath me. I watched the other building crack open. People were screaming. I just ran.”
President Gustavo Petro declared a state of emergency for the affected departments at midday. He announced that military units are assisting rescue operations and that support from international partners is arriving. “Colombia has faced many disasters, and we will get through this too,” he said.
In Villavicencio, infrastructure is heavily damaged: roads cracked, bridges unusable, and power outages widespread. Hospitals are overwhelmed with patients suffering fractures, head trauma, and deep lacerations. Volunteers are working around the clock, delivering food and setting up makeshift medical facilities.
Footage circulating online shows cars bouncing on cracked roads, groceries scattered across shop floors, and people clutching their children under collapsing ceilings. One firefighter remarked, “The concentration of damage in such a densely populated area makes this even more serious than previous earthquakes we’ve seen.”
By late afternoon, rescuers had pulled a six-year-old girl alive from wreckage after four hours of digging — a rare win in this disaster. But many families remain torn apart, desperate for news of missing loved ones.
Authorities are asking residents to stay outside for the next 24 hours as aftershocks continue to shake the ground. Several tremors measuring 3.0–4.2 magnitude have already been recorded. Structural engineers are assessing buildings, and schools and offices will remain shut until further notice.
Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management mobilized over 1,000 personnel, including canine units, drones, and heavy equipment. International aid teams from Chile, Mexico, and the United States have also pledged assistance. Seismologists warn that the quake’s shallow depth (14 km) significantly increased its destructive power.
As night falls, Bogotá is shaken but unbowed. Volunteers organize food distribution lines; residents hang white sheets from balconies to signal hope. “We’ve rebuilt before,” said Mayor Claudia López. “We’ll rebuild again.”
Rescuers continue to work through the night, calling into the darkness for anyone still alive. Across Colombia, families wait, pray, and hope for more voices to answer back at dawn.