If you have family or friends in Colombia, or you are booked to fly there this week, here is what changed since this morning. Costa Rica’s embassy in Colombia has opened direct lines for nationals affected by this morning’s magnitude 7.4 earthquake. You can reach consular staff at concr-co@rree.go.cr or on +57 313 841 3850. The Foreign Ministry has also expressed its solidarity with Colombia, saying Costa Rica stands with the Colombian people and hopes for a swift recovery.
The scale of the disaster grew sharply through the morning. Colombia’s government has declared a national disaster, a move that unlocks emergency funding and speeds the deployment of resources to affected regions. Authorities have confirmed 21 deaths, though a tally compiled from preliminary reports by governors and mayors puts the number at at least 74.
More than 100 people are reported missing. Officials have cautioned that these figures will shift quickly as search, rescue and building inspections advance. The coffee region took the worst of it. Pereira Mayor Mauricio Salazar reported 18 deaths in his city and a very high number of collapsed buildings. In Manizales, Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas Giraldo said between 20 and 30 homes collapsed along with several churches, and one of the towers of the city’s cathedral partially came down.
Around 20 buildings were badly damaged in Cali, which hosted the new president’s inauguration three days earlier. The earthquake struck at 7:34 a.m. with its epicenter in Chocó, on Colombia’s Pacific side. For anyone flying, the practical picture is this. Seven airports are shut while inspectors check them — Matecaña in Pereira, La Nubia in Manizales, El Edén in Armenia, El Caraño in Quibdó, Santa Ana in Cartago, Gerardo Tovar López in Buenaventura, and Alfonso Bonilla Aragón in Cali. More than ten airports in total are reporting some form of damage or operating restriction as inspections continue.
The closures are precautionary. Runways, control towers and terminal structures all have to be cleared before aircraft can move again, and inspectors will not sign off until they are certain — which is why a terminal with visible damage stays shut even when the damage looks cosmetic. At least 46 flights were scheduled Monday across Armenia, Buenaventura, Manizales, Pereira and Quibdó alone.
Bogotá is the important exception for anyone traveling from Costa Rica. El Dorado reported no damage and kept operating. That matters because it is the airport Avianca’s direct San José service uses. Your flight to Bogotá is probably fine — but if your itinerary continues onward to Cali, Pereira or Armenia, that leg is the problem, and you should sort it out before you leave home rather than at the connection.
Both major carriers have opened the door to changes. Avianca is letting passengers with confirmed domestic tickets for today rebook up to 15 days later, switch destination, or get a refund, all without penalty or fare difference — though if you change destination you cover your own onward transport. LATAM is offering a free date change, a free refund or a route change for anyone flying to or from Pereira, Cali or Armenia between Monday and Sunday.
Aviation authorities are asking travelers to check with their airline and watch official channels before heading to any airport. Two other things worth knowing. The maritime authority has ruled out any tsunami threat to Colombia’s Pacific coast. Aftershocks have already followed, including a magnitude 4.8 in Chocó within the first hour and a 3.8 later in the morning — normal after a rupture this size, and a reason damaged buildings are being kept empty.
President Abelardo De La Espriella, three days into his term, has convened a unified command post at the national disaster agency and said he will travel to Pereira. Offers of rescue teams and medical help have come in from El Salvador, Ecuador and Chile.
The numbers attached to this earthquake will keep moving for days. Confirmed tolls in a disaster of this size tend to lag the real figure by a wide margin in the first 24 hours, then jump as crews reach places that were cut off — which is the stage Colombia is entering now.
