A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, prompting Aeronáutica Civil to suspend operations at several airports while inspectors checked for structural damage. Services at Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura were halted, while Cali’s Alfonso Bonilla Aragón Airport also faced disruption before operations resumed in some reports.
The quake was centred near San José del Palmar in Chocó at a depth of about 107 km, and no tsunami threat was issued. Reuters reported that flights would remain suspended until inspections were completed, as authorities assessed the condition of airport infrastructure across the affected region.
The temporary closures affected links across Colombia’s coffee-growing corridor and Pacific-facing departments, where regional airports are important for domestic connectivity and emergency logistics. The earthquake also triggered broader emergency response activity on the ground, with reports of collapsed buildings, injuries and people trapped in cities including Cali and Quibdó.