Shakira calls for unity as Colombia earthquake kills 111
Colombian pop star and humanitarian advocate Shakira urged her compatriots to stand together after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia, killing at least 111 people and leaving 87 injured in the country's deadliest quake in decades.
Shakira calls for unity as Colombia earthquake kills 111
Colombian pop star Shakira has called on her fellow citizens to unite and support one another following a powerful earthquake that struck western Colombia on Monday, killing at least 111 people and injuring 87 others.
The magnitude 7.4 earthquake, which hit near San José del Palmar in the Chocó region approximately 400 kilometres west of Bogotá, has been confirmed as the strongest to strike Colombia since at least 1990, according to the US Geological Survey. The Colombian Geological Service described it as the highest magnitude earthquake registered in the country in the last decade.
"In times like these, we Colombians know how to come together and support one another," Shakira wrote on X. "My heart is with everyone who felt the tremor." The singer, who has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2003, also expressed sympathy for families facing moments of anguish and urged people to remain alert and follow instructions from authorities.
"Let's embrace tightly and stay tuned to the instructions so we can help as soon as possible," she said.
Shakira's message carries particular weight given her long-standing humanitarian commitment to Colombia. At age 18 in 1997, she founded the Pies Descalzos Foundation, which currently operates six schools supporting more than 5,000 children and benefiting approximately 30,000 children, families and community members. Between 2021 and 2024, the foundation mobilized more resources for education than any other civil-society organization in Colombia.
Widespread destruction across western Colombia
The earthquake caused widespread damage across western Colombia, with buildings collapsing in cities including Pereira, Cali, Quibdó and Manizales. President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a state of emergency to speed up the government's response and recovery efforts. More than 20 municipalities were affected, while residents and rescue teams searched through rubble for survivors.
The quake occurred as the result of strike-slip faulting at a depth of approximately 107 kilometres within the subducting Nazca plate beneath the South America plate. Due to its intermediate depth, the earthquake caused less intense shaking than shallower earthquakes of the same magnitude but was felt over a broader region. Tremors were also felt in neighbouring Ecuador and Panama, although little damage was reported there.
Chocó, where the earthquake's epicentre was located, is Colombia's poorest region. The area is geographically isolated with much of the department lacking paved road access due to dense Andean and Pacific rainforest terrain, which complicates relief efforts. Rescue teams continued searching damaged areas as authorities assessed the extent of the destruction and monitored for aftershocks.
Colombia's seismic vulnerability
The earthquake struck in Colombia's Pacific region, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone known for frequent seismic activity. The Ring of Fire contains approximately 452 volcanoes and is responsible for most of the world's earthquakes.
Colombia registers approximately 2,500 earthquakes per month, about 80 daily, due to its location where the Nazca, South American, and Caribbean tectonic plates interact, though most are too small to be felt without instruments.
The disaster arrived just days after President de la Espriella was inaugurated, making it the new administration's first major crisis. It also follows devastating twin earthquakes in neighbouring Venezuela in June 2026 that killed more than 5,000 people.
