IFRC Launches CHF 25 Million Appeal After Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake Strikes Western Colombia

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on 10 August 2026, centred near the municipality of San José del Palmar in Chocó department, killing more than 130 people and injuring almost 600, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The quake, which struck at a depth of about 64 miles, caused damage across roughly 16 departments, with Chocó, Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío and Valle del Cauca among the worst affected.

Homes, schools, health facilities, roads and bridges were damaged, and dozens of buildings collapsed, the IFRC said. In response, the Colombian Red Cross Society activated its National Crisis Room and deployed search and rescue teams, including thirty responders sent from Antioquia to Chocó, one of the hardest-hit areas.

A CHF 25 million appeal

The IFRC launched an emergency appeal for CHF 25 million (about $31 million) to fund the Colombian Red Cross Society’s response, saying thousands of families had been left without food, clean water, shelter or medical care. The initial phase of the operation is prioritising Chocó, Risaralda, Caldas and Valle del Cauca, where humanitarian needs are most concentrated.

A region with existing vulnerabilities

Chocó is one of Colombia’s poorest departments and has long been affected by armed conflict, meaning many communities already had limited access to services before the earthquake struck. Aid agencies have said rebuilding schools and health facilities will be a priority, since their loss compounds existing gaps in education and healthcare access for rural and largely Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities in the region.

Why It Matters

The scale of casualties and damage in a region that was already among Colombia’s most under-served illustrates how disasters can deepen existing inequality. A well-funded, rapid relief and reconstruction effort matters not only for immediate survival but for whether Chocó’s communities regain the schools, clinics and infrastructure they had before the quake, or fall further behind.