August 10 earthquake shakes Cali, leaving dozens of buildings collapsed

On the morning of August 10, 2026, at 7:34 a.m., the city of Cali was surprised by an earthquake that made the ground shake and caused the collapse of dozens of structures. The shaking turned everyday life into an emergency situation, with buildings collapsing and hospitals at risk.

The earthquake that shook Cali

The first sensation was the swing of the lamp on the ceiling, which cast shadows on the walls as the earth kept moving. The narrator, who was in her bedroom, described the fear upon seeing a wall of her five‑story apartment collapse. In a few seconds, the floor ceased to be solid and everything around began to fall.

Collapses and preliminary numbers

Mayor Alejandro Eder confirmed that more than 26 buildings had collapsed in Cali. He reported that rescue teams were identified at 10 of those sites and that 16 assessment teams were formed, with support from Bogotá and Medellín. Governor Dilian Francisca Toro added that, in neighboring municipalities, three children lost their lives in Calima El Darién and another in Yumbo, totaling four children dead.

Authorities' response and rescue actions

Authorities asked the population to stay at home to keep the roads clear and announced the arrival of water, construction gloves, safety goggles and mattresses. A collection point was opened at the Jairo Varela plaza, north of the city. At the Valle University Hospital (HUV), a wing collapsed, leaving five patients trapped under the rubble. The army and firefighters are working to evacuate these patients from the intensive care unit.

Impact on families and hospitals

Several families were directly affected: graphic reporter Juan Pablo Rueda’s family lost their home, and neighbor Mercedes Araújo was unable to leave the apartment because her sister depends on oxygen connected to electricity. In neighborhoods such as La Flora, Prados del Norte and Vipasa, the power outage spread, raising concerns about how long the backup batteries would last.

Power situation and emergency needs

In addition to the collapses, the city’s infrastructure suffered severe damage. In El Cairo, about 80% of the structures were destroyed, including the El Águila hospital. In Zarzal, the local hospital collapsed, while in Cartago patients were evacuated with no deaths reported. In Buenaventura, the Juanchaco dock and two bridges collapsed, extending the scope of the tragedy.

The HUV manager, Irne Torres Castro, made an appeal to the community: "We have had to evacuate 100 percent of the patients to the hospital gardens. We still have some patients trapped. We are calculating the possible fatalities. We want to call on the community and rescue institutions not to bring patients to the hospital right now, because we have our own crisis with the patients here at the hospital and we would not be able to respond to the call or attend to those patients."

As the rubble is removed and survivors bear the weight of memory, the echo of that August morning remains as a reminder of how the ground can suddenly shift beneath a city’s feet.

With information from El Tiempo.