A massive 7.4-magnitude earthquake tore through western Colombia on Monday, sending travelers diving for cover inside Pereira’s Matecaña International Airport as ceiling panels crashed down around them.
Story Snapshot
- A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia near San José del Palmar in Chocó at about 7:34 a.m. local time on August 10, 2026.
- At least 111 people died and more than 87 were hurt across the country, according to Colombian authorities.
- Part of the terminal roof at Pereira’s Matecaña Airport came down in an area where people were standing.
- Colombia’s civil aviation agency shut down six western airports so engineers could check for structural damage.
Quake Strikes Without Warning
The earthquake hit at a depth of roughly 110 kilometers, or about 68 miles, according to seismic records. Its epicenter sat near the small town of San José del Palmar in Colombia’s Chocó region, about 250 miles west of the capital, Bogotá. The shaking reached far beyond the epicenter, rattling cities across the country’s coffee-growing region and beyond.
Video from inside Matecaña Airport shows passengers and staff running for safety as the building shook violently. Ceiling panels fell around them while people ducked under furniture and covered their heads. The footage, shared widely online, captured the chaos in the seconds after the quake struck.
Airport Suffers Real Damage
Colombia’s civil aeronautics agency confirmed serious problems at Matecaña after the quake. Part of the terminal’s roof gave way in a section where several travelers were present, according to a report from the Spanish news agency EFE. The agency also announced that six airports serving Pereira, Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura had suspended all operations while inspectors checked the buildings.
Officials have not said when flights will resume at the affected airports. Ground crews and engineers are working through checklists meant to spot cracks, weakened supports, or other hazards before passengers and planes return. For now, travelers in the region face delays and cancellations tied directly to the inspections.
Wider Damage Across the Region
The airport scare was just one part of a much bigger disaster. At least 111 people died nationwide, and toppled buildings trapped victims beneath rubble in several cities, according to Reuters, which called it one of the strongest earthquakes to hit Colombia in decades. In Pereira alone, local officials reported that 65 buildings collapsed in the metro area, with people believed trapped inside 15 of them.
Hospitals and clinics also felt the impact. Several medical facilities in the region closed either because of a surge in patients or fears that damaged buildings were unsafe to use. That left rescue crews stretched thin as they worked to pull survivors from collapsed structures while also treating the injured.
A Familiar Pattern in Disaster Coverage
Early reports after major earthquakes often mix confirmed facts with unverified claims, and this event followed that pattern. Some initial posts described a full terminal collapse at Matecaña, while official statements described partial roof and ceiling damage instead. Both the suspension of flights and the roof failure are confirmed by multiple sources, even as the exact scope of the damage was still being assessed in the hours after the quake.
For people who already question whether government agencies communicate clearly during emergencies, this kind of gap between viral video and official statements is nothing new. What is clear from Colombian authorities and international wire services is that the quake caused real damage, real injuries, and real disruption at one of the country’s busier regional airports, even as the full picture continues to come into focus.
Colombian officials say recovery efforts will continue for days as crews clear debris, inspect buildings, and work to reopen the shuttered airports. Until inspections wrap up, air travel in the coffee region remains grounded, leaving thousands of passengers to make alternate plans while the country tallies the full cost of one of its strongest earthquakes in years.
Sources:
facebook.com, x.com, reddit.com
