The most powerful earthquake of the 21st century struck Colombia, leaving the death toll at 164.

At 7:34 a.m. local time on the 10th (8:34 p.m. Korean time), a strong earthquake struck approximately 5 km east of San Jose del Guaviaire in Choco Province along Colombia's Pacific coast. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported the earthquake's magnitude at 7.4 with a focal depth of about 110 km. The Colombian Geological Survey (SGC) stated that this was the largest earthquake recorded in Colombia in the 21st century, adding that 21 aftershocks followed through the evening.

According to Reuters and local authorities, the earthquake has left 164 dead and 188 missing in preliminary tallies. The number of injured has reached 570, with approximately 2,000 suspected missing cases reported. Disaster damage continues to mount. A total of 1,575 houses were damaged, of which 61 completely collapsed. Additionally, 18 medical facilities, 52 educational institutions, 18 roads, and 7 airports suffered earthquake damage. The damage was concentrated in Cali, Colombia's third-largest city with a population of about 2.2 million. At least 85 people died there alone, with buildings collapsing and sustaining damage in succession, forcing residents to evacuate to the streets. At one hospital, several floors, including a pediatric clinic, collapsed, trapping patients, while some 600 other patients received emergency treatment on the street. In Pereira, Risaralda Province, a highland area famous for coffee production, 66 people died, and in Choco Province, a rural area near the epicenter, 13 victims were reported. CNN noted that Colombia is the world's third-largest coffee producer, accounting for 7% of global coffee bean production, and reported that the earthquake struck key production areas.

Geologically, Colombia, along with neighboring Venezuela, is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the so-called 'Ring of Fire.' In 1999, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake near Armenia in Quindio Province in the central-western region killed more than 1,000 people. On June 24 of this year, successive magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela, killing 6,301 people. However, CNN reported that there is no direct geological connection between this Colombia earthquake and the Venezuela earthquake. The Colombian government has declared a national emergency and is conducting rescue operations for the second day. In particular, 1,000 security forces have been deployed to Cali to search for the missing and maintain public order. President Abelardo de la Espriella, in his first press conference after taking office on the 7th, stated that the government is focusing its capabilities on protecting lives and supporting affected areas. The safety of Korean residents has also been confirmed. The South Korean Embassy in Colombia reported that strong tremors were felt in the Bogota area, but no major structural damage was reported. Currently, about 800 Koreans reside in Colombia, primarily in Bogota.

International support is also continuing. The U.S. State Department pledged $15.5 million (approximately 220 billion won) in emergency relief aid through the social media platform X. Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum, as well as Israel, Ecuador, France, and Chile, have also expressed their intentions to provide assistance to Colombia.