A magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, August 10 [1]. Its epicenter was San Jose del Palmar, in the Choco region, roughly 400 km west of Bogota, at a depth of 107 km [1]. At least 21 aftershocks followed within hours, the shaking reached neighboring Ecuador and Panama, and the government declared a national state of emergency [1].
Four days on, the count of the dead depends on who is counting. The Colombian Association of Capital Cities, a think tank, puts the toll at at least 132 killed and 570 injured [1]. The office of President Abelardo de la Espriella gave a preliminary figure of 111 dead and 87 injured [1]. Those are not two versions of one number to be split down the middle; they are two separate counts, and the gap between them, at least 21 more dead and roughly 483 more injured in the higher tally, is itself part of the story of a response still finding its footing.
The URL of the first report still reads "at least 20," a snapshot from the hours after the quake. The body of that same report has since moved well past it, which is the ordinary arc of a disaster count: the first hours undercount, and the number climbs as crews reach cut-off towns.
Regional breakdowns fill in some of the geography without reconciling the national totals. At least 40 people died in Risaralda, at least 27 in Valle del Cauca including three children, and 12 in Choco, where 84 were injured [1]. Those regional figures sum to fewer than either national toll, which is expected: they are partial, drawn from the areas that have reported, not a complete national tally.
The largest open number is the missing. More than 1,400 people are listed as missing in one digital database, concentrated in Cali and Pereira [1]. That figure is why the president framed the emergency the way he did: "The first priority is rescuing the people trapped under the rubble" [1]. Until those searches close, both death tolls should be read as floors, not final.
