On August 10, an Mw 7.4 earthquake centered near San José del Palmar (Chocó) significantly affected western and central Colombia. At INGENIAR: Risk Intelligence, we carried out a loss assessment through catastrophe modeling with CAPRA-ROBOT, integrating the AIS 300 seismic hazard model, exposure data for buildings and infrastructure, and physical vulnerability functions, to quantify the impact across Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Quindío, and Caldas.
The results estimate direct physical losses of COP 30 trillion (USD 9.5 billion) — COP 24.5 trillion in buildings and COP 5.5 trillion in infrastructure — equivalent to a 40-year return period on the country’s Probable Maximum Loss (PML) curve. This represents an event with very significant economic consequences, though far from the most extreme seismic scenario Colombia could face, underscoring both the magnitude of the country’s existing seismic risk and the importance of prospective risk management.
Read the full report here.https://www.ingeniar-risk.com/documentos/INGENIAR_Loss_Estimation_for_the_August_10_2026_Earthquake_in_Colombia.pdf