Previously, however, regional authorities had reported a significantly higher death toll.
On Tuesday, Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella put the number of deaths from the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck several areas of the country Monday at 181.
RELATED:
Colombia Earthquake: Mexico Offers 255 Rescuers and Tons of Aid
“At this moment, we have 181 fatalities nationwide, 2,595 injured, 195 missing, 1,136 homes destroyed, 48 buildings collapsed, 8,357 damaged homes and 807 damaged educational centers as well,” he said.
During a meeting with journalists in Pereira, one of the cities hardest hit by the earthquake, De la Espriella also mentioned that at least 85 health centers and 74 roads were damaged.
The Colombian Presidency’s official death toll, however, is notably lower than the 240 fatalities counted by authorities in the hardest-hit departments. It also contradicts the first official count of 111 deaths that the national government announced Monday at noon.
The discrepancy between the national and regional figures comes after the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) announced that all official information about the emergency would be issued exclusively by the Presidency, following an explicit order from De la Espriella.
Colombia
: Han rescatado un bebé de seis meses entre los escombros. Hasta ahora el terremoto se ha cobrado la vida de, al menos, 224 personas y dejado cientos de heridos. pic.twitter.com/JC8WDGa6V9
— oscar muñoz (@munoznotired) August 11, 2026
The text reads, “Colombia: A six-month-old baby has been rescued from the rubble. So far, the earthquake has claimed the lives of at least 224 people and left hundreds injured.”
Nevertheless, as of Tuesday morning, the Colombian Association of Capital Cities (Asocapitales) had already counted 169 deaths in departmental capitals, not including rural municipalities.
The National Institute of Legal Medicine had already reported receiving 160 bodies from Choco, Caldas, Risaralda and Valle del Cauca.
Valle del Cauca is the region with the highest number of fatalities, with 130, of which 95 were in Cali, its capital, and 35 in other municipalities. Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder reported 949 injured, 86 people rescued and 239 trapped under the rubble of 56 collapsed buildings.
In Risaralda, authorities reported 90 deaths, while in Choco, where the earthquake’s epicenter was located, 14 fatalities, 138 injured and five missing people have been counted.
In the department of Caldas, the governor’s office had recorded six deaths, 76 injured and more than 1,300 homes affected.
The magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurred Monday at 7:34 a.m. local time and had its epicenter near the municipality of San Jose del Palmar, in the department of Choco, on the border with Valle del Cauca and Risaralda.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.