Cali building collapse intensifies earthquake emergency; death toll rises

Fear gripped Cali's Granada neighborhood as a building's roof and wall collapsed, exacerbating the emergency a week after a devastating magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia. The seismic event, with its epicenter in the Chocó department, has become one of the worst catastrophes in Cali, Valle del Cauca, and the Eje Cafetero regions.

The collapse occurred on August 19th on Avenida 8 Norte with Calle 14, near a hotel, adding to the extensive damage across the city. This incident is part of a massive infrastructure crisis, with authorities verifying 963 buildings. The technical assessment is alarming: 24 buildings have completely collapsed, 177 have suffered partial collapses (including the structure in Granada), and 216 show severe structural damage.

Stabilization efforts are ongoing in affected areas, where emergency crews and heavy machinery have cleared 29,843 tons of debris. Cali is striving to recover from the destruction while maintaining alerts and humanitarian deployment throughout the region.

The most recent report from the Mayor's Office of Santiago de Cali, as of August 19, 2026, at 3:00 p.m., indicates that the death toll has reached 143, with 136 bodies returned to their families. Search and rescue operations are racing against time to find 47 reported missing persons. Amidst the emergency, 88 people have been rescued alive from collapsed structures. Across Cali, 46 buildings have fallen, particularly in the south, and over 500 have been reported as unsafe.