Rescuers in Colombia pull six-month-old baby from earthquake rubble
After the 7.4-magnitude quake on August 10, 2026, rescuers and locals freed an infant and later recovered her mother; authorities report 224 dead.
Rescuers and local volunteers in Colombia managed to pull a six-month-old baby from the rubble of a collapsed building after a powerful earthquake struck on August 10, 2026.
Neighbors and emergency teams worked together to clear concrete and debris, racing to reach the child. After the infant was removed from the wreckage, search teams continued looking for the mother. Rescuers later pulled the mother out of the rubble; she emerged covered with blood and dust.
Casualties and missing
Local authorities reported on Tuesday that the death toll from the quake had risen to 224. Nearly 200 people were listed as missing.
The earthquake, measured at magnitude 7.4, struck on August 10, 2026. Its epicenter was recorded near San José del Palmar, roughly 400 kilometers west of the capital, Bogotá. Strong tremors were felt across neighboring countries, including Ecuador, Venezuela and Panama.
Officials noted that this was the strongest earthquake to hit Colombia since 1970, when a tremor of magnitude 8.0 was registered. The Colombian quake occurred 47 days after the destructive earthquakes in June that hit Venezuela, where more than 5,000 people died.
With this event, the number of earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater worldwide in 2026 reached ten.
Photo: press material from the event
