Colombia Earthquake — Emergency Relief

On August 10, 2026, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia, with its epicenter in Chocó — the poorest region in the country. It is one of the most severe disasters to hit the region in recent memory.

The damage

The earthquake has caused at least 281 deaths and nearly 4,000 injuries. More than 12,000 homes have been damaged, and over 800 education centers were affected, disrupting schooling for more than 200,000 children. Hospitals and clinics were also damaged, leaving communities without essential medical services at the moment they need them most.

A crisis on top of a crisis

Chocó was already one of Colombia’s most under-resourced regions before the earthquake, and the country as a whole had over 10 million people needing humanitarian assistance even before this disaster — much of it tied to the ongoing regional migration crisis. The earthquake has deepened life-threatening gaps in access to health care, shelter, and basic needs for communities that had little safety margin to begin with.

The response

Relief organizations are delivering health care (medications and supplies to health centers), mental health support via telemedicine, education and child protection services, and emergency cash assistance — with plans to expand as more funding becomes available.

Facts on this page are sourced from the International Rescue Committee (IRC)’s own public reporting (linked below) and were current as of when this page was written. This is an independent fundraising page on this site, not an official page of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) — donations made here are processed by this site’s own payment provider and are not forwarded to the International Rescue Committee (IRC). If you would prefer to give directly to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), you can do so at their website.