Earthquake in Colombia causes at least 20 deaths, partial collapse of neo-Gothic cathedral

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake shook several regions of western Colombia on Monday, Aug. 10, killing at least 20 people and causing severe damage to many buildings, including the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, also known as the Manizales Cathedral, in the department of Caldas.

The earthquake occurred at 7:34 a.m. local time, and its epicenter was the municipality of San José del Palmar in the department of Chocó, located on the Pacific coast.

On its social media, the Archdiocese of Manizales shared a video showing cracks in the facade and the partial collapse of one of the side towers of the 390-foot-high neo-Gothic church, the tallest cathedral in Colombia and the tallest neo-Gothic church in the Americas.

Instagram post

The death toll remains unknown as local and national authorities continue to gather information in order to get a complete picture of the number of victims and the structural damage caused by the earthquake, considered the strongest in the last decade.

Colombia’s newly elected president, Abelardo De La Espriella, said on social media he has “personally taken charge of the emergency response in San José del Palmar” and has ordered the “establishment of a Unified Command Post to coordinate the response to the damage and assist those affected.”

“You are not alone,” wrote De La Espriella, who is Catholic. “The state is present and acting.”

The Archdiocese of Manizales called on the population to pray “for all the people and families who may have been affected, for those who today feel fear and uncertainty, and, especially, for those who need help.”

“May God protect Manizales and Colombia, strengthen our hearts, and grant us serenity, solidarity, and hope. Lord, we place Colombia in your hands,” the archdiocese said in its post.

The governor of Chocó, Nubia Córdoba, stated on her social media account that “in the capital, Quibdó, there are injuries and serious damage to buildings.”

In its first report, the Civil Aeronautics Authority of Colombia reported that the earthquake affected the facilities of “the airports of Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura.”

“For safety reasons, air operations at these terminals remain suspended until structural damage to the infrastructure is assessed,” the group stated.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.