Colombia President Puts Earthquake’s Economic Toll at Nearly $9.6 Billion

Addis Ababa, August 18, 2026 (FMC) — Colombia’s President Abelardo De La Espriella has put the preliminary economic toll of last week’s powerful earthquake at 30 trillion Colombian pesos, equivalent to nearly 9.6 billion U.S. dollars.

De La Espriella said about 24.5 trillion pesos of the estimated losses stemmed from damage to buildings, while another 5.5 trillion pesos was attributed to infrastructure damage.

He said the estimate remains preliminary and could change as authorities continue assessing the scale of destruction across the affected areas.

The 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia, causing widespread damage in areas including Cali and Pereira. The disaster has reportedly killed about 280 people, injured more than 4,000 and left 143 people missing.

The scale of the destruction has placed a major burden on the government as it responds to the immediate humanitarian needs and prepares for extensive reconstruction.

The World Bank has disbursed $200 million to support Colombia’s emergency response and launched a rapid assessment of the earthquake’s economic impact to help guide recovery and reconstruction priorities.

Authorities are expected to conduct further assessments to determine the full extent of damage to homes, businesses and critical infrastructure as recovery efforts continue.