A magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Colombia leaves hundreds dead and thousands missing

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Chocó department in Colombia. The first report said it caused widespread and heavy damage and left at least 288 people dead. The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Manizales was among the damaged buildings after one of its towers collapsed. The quake is identified by magnitude and by that department.

A later casualty report said the toll had risen to more than 240 people killed, with 570 injured and at least 3,000 others still missing. President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national state of emergency. The later death figure is not higher than the first report's at least 288, so the two accounts do not form a single clean running total. Both figures are on record from successive reports.

Missing people are a separate count from confirmed deaths. The figure of at least 3,000 missing indicates a search still underway. Injuries are given as 570 in the later report. No list of the hardest-hit towns beyond the department and the Manizales cathedral is provided in these notes.

A national state of emergency is a government declaration during a disaster. President Abelardo de la Espriella issued it. The quake report ties the declaration to this earthquake. It does not itemize the emergency powers.

The collapsed tower in Manizales shows damage outside a single village. The report does not say the cathedral was destroyed entirely. It says one tower collapsed and that the building is among those damaged. Widespread heavy damage is the broader description.

No tsunami is mentioned in these Colombia notes. No international aid total is given. The confirmed facts are a magnitude 7.4 quake in Chocó, heavy damage including a tower of the Manizales cathedral, an initial death report of at least 288, a later report of more than 240 dead with 570 injured and at least 3,000 missing, and a national emergency.