What happened in the 2026 Colombia earthquake?

The 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit at around 7:34 a.m. local time on August 10, 2026, with its epicenter in San José del Palmar, Chocó. Colombia's Geological Service has recorded more than 70 aftershocks since. It is the strongest earthquake to hit Colombia in over a century. The tremor collapsed hospitals, schools, homes, and historic landmarks, and was felt as far as Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national state of disaster and deployed the military, engineers, and search-and-rescue teams to the hardest-hit areas. In all, more than 11,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed.

 

What forest fires are burning in Colombia in 2026?

As the ground shook in the west, much of the rest of the country was already burning. A prolonged El Niño drought has left vegetation tinder-dry, and dozens of forest fires are now active across several departments at once. Tolima — the hardest hit — has declared a departmental state of public calamity, with dozens of active fires spread across more than a dozen municipalities and the town of San Luis among the worst affected. Nariño has declared both a public calamity and a state of manifest urgency. Fires are also burning in departments including Antioquia, Quindío, Cesar, and Cundinamarca, and a volcano alert has opened yet a third emergency front. Colombia's own human-rights ombudsman has warned that the fires threaten not only homes and lives, but crops, livelihoods, and animals.

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Which regions and cities were hit?

The devastation stretches across western and central Colombia — and the fires reach further still:

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• Chocó (the epicenter): In San José del Palmar, around 20 buildings collapsed entirely and 400 homes were damaged. Officials described the destruction in Quibdó and the Alto and Bajo Baudó regions as "monstrous." Communications outages slowed reports for days.

• Valle del Cauca: In Cali, dozens died, hundreds were injured, and people were trapped when parts of a major hospital collapsed. In the town of El Cairo, roughly 80% of homes were reportedly destroyed. Riofrío and Vijes also suffered severe damage.

• Risaralda: Pereira reported dozens dead and collapsed apartment buildings, with rescuers digging through rubble for survivors.

• Caldas and the Coffee Axis (Eje Cafetero): In Manizales, the towers of a historic cathedral were damaged. This UNESCO-recognized coffee region — spanning Manizales, Pereira, Armenia, and Ibagué — took extensive structural damage.

• Tolima, Nariño, and beyond (the fires): Away from the earthquake zone, drought-driven wildfires are consuming forest and farmland across Tolima, Nariño, Antioquia, Quindío, Cesar, and Cundinamarca — burning the very pastures and water sources that rural and working animals depend on to survive.

 

Whole neighborhoods, small towns, and rural communities across these regions have been flattened, burned, or left unsafe.

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How many animals were affected by the disasters?

The honest answer is that no one can count them. When an earthquake destroys more than 11,000 buildings and levels whole towns, and fires sweep across a dozen departments, it does not only displace people — it buries, burns, injures, and strands an immeasurable number of animals. Family pets trapped in collapsed homes. Farm animals and livestock crushed, loose, or starving across damaged and drought-stricken land in a major agricultural region. Working mules and donkeys pushed to exhaustion hauling water toward the fires. Wildlife fleeing the flames. Street animals thrown into chaos. And the beloved companions of families who have lost everything and can no longer feed or care for them.

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There is no official census of the animals affected, and there never will be. What we have instead is a rising stream of reports — a burned donkey, exhausted mules, starving cattle, shelters full and out of supplies — and every report is an animal that needs help now.

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What is Namigni Animal Sanctuary doing to help?

Namigni Animal Sanctuary is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a large animal sanctuary in Guasca, Colombia, that has spent years caring for animals others gave up on. Since the earthquake struck and the fires spread, we have been receiving reports of animals in desperate need across the affected regions — of many species, in many places — and reports of local shelters, themselves damaged and overwhelmed, that need help to keep going.

 

We are mobilizing to respond. Because so many animals depend on our daily presence at the sanctuary, we work the way disaster relief actually reaches the ground: by coordinating with and funding trusted local veterinarians and responders in the affected regions, verifying real need, and directing emergency resources to the animals we can reach. Your donation funds that response directly:

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• Emergency food and clean water for animals cut off from both by the quake or the drought.

• Veterinary care for the injured — wounds, crush trauma, burns, smoke inhalation, and shock.

• Rescue and transport out of collapsed, burning, and unsafe areas.

• Temporary shelter and supplies for displaced and orphaned animals.

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Every hour matters. The window to reach a trapped, injured, or starving animal is measured in days, not weeks — and it is closing now.

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What happens after the emergency passes?

This is the part almost no one funds. When the volunteers go home and the donations slow, the animals are still there — on scorched land with no pasture, no water, and no public fund of any kind dedicated to them. Rebuilding a herd's feed supply, treating burns and respiratory damage, and sustaining overwhelmed shelters through the recovery takes months, not days. Namigni is committed to staying past the emergency and into the aftermath, where the quiet losses happen and almost no one is watching. Your support is what makes that possible.

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How can you help the animals affected by the disasters?

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• Donate here. Every gift goes straight to emergency animal relief, and we will show you where it goes — updates, photos, and the animals your gift reached, as it happens.

• Share. A single share reaches someone who can help when you've already done your part. In the middle of an enormous human tragedy, the animals have almost no one. Be one of the people who don't look away.

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Frequently Asked Questions

 

When and where did the Colombia earthquake happen?
The earthquake struck on Monday, August 10, 2026, at around 7:34 a.m. local time. Its epicenter was in San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó, western Colombia, about 250 miles west of Bogotá.

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How strong was the earthquake?
It measured magnitude 7.4 — the most powerful earthquake to strike Colombia in over a century, according to Colombia's Geological Service. More than 70 aftershocks have followed.

 

What forest fires are affecting Colombia in 2026?
A prolonged El Niño drought has fueled dozens of simultaneous forest fires across the country. Tolima and Nariño have both declared a state of public calamity, and fires are also active in departments including Antioquia, Quindío, Cesar, and Cundinamarca. The fires are destroying the pastures, crops, and water sources that rural and working animals depend on to survive.

 

Which areas were most affected?
The hardest-hit earthquake regions include Chocó (the epicenter), Valle del Cauca and its capital Cali, Risaralda and the city of Pereira, and Caldas, including Manizales in Colombia's Coffee Axis. The wildfires center on Tolima and Nariño and reach several other departments. Whole towns such as El Cairo and San José del Palmar suffered catastrophic damage.

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How many animals were affected?
There is no official count, and there cannot be one. An earthquake that damaged or destroyed more than 11,000 buildings and leveled whole communities, together with fires burning across a dozen departments, has affected an immeasurable number of animals — pets, livestock, working animals, and wildlife. Namigni is receiving a growing number of reports of animals in need across the affected regions.

 

Is Namigni Animal Sanctuary a registered charity?
Yes. Namigni Animal Sanctuary is a registered U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in New York and locally based in Guasca, Colombia. Donations made through our GoFundMe campaign are tax-deductible for U.S. donors.

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Where does my donation go?
Every donation funds emergency animal relief: food and water, veterinary care, rescue and transport, support for damaged local shelters, and temporary shelter for displaced animals. We post regular updates showing exactly how funds are used.

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How can I help if I can't donate?
Share this page and the campaign with your network. In a disaster, visibility saves lives — a share can reach a donor, a rescuer, or a shelter that can act where you can't.