On 10 August 2026, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia, with the states of Valle del Cauca, Chocó, Risaralda, Caldas, and Quindío among the most severely affected. The earthquake caused widespread destruction of homes, schools, health facilities, roads, and other critical infrastructure, resulting in significant loss of life, injuries, displacement, and disruption of essential services. Search and rescue operations remain ongoing, and casualty figures continue to increase as assessments progress. The earthquake has left thousands of people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Priority needs include emergency medical care, safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), emergency shelter, food assistance, essential household items, mental health and psychosocial support, and protection services, particularly for children, older persons, people with disabilities, pregnant and lactating women, and other vulnerable groups. Damage to transport infrastructure and interruptions to electricity, water supply, and telecommunications have complicated access to affected communities and the delivery of humanitarian assistance. The Government of Colombia, through the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), is leading the emergency response in coordination with departmental and municipal authorities, Civil Defense, Fire Brigades, and the Colombian Red Cross. The United Nations system, including OCHA, PAHO/WHO, UNICEF, and WFP, together with the IFRC and other humanitarian organisations, are supporting needs assessments, coordination, and emergency response. Despite these efforts, significant humanitarian needs remain, particularly in hard-to-reach urban, peri-urban, and rural communities where damage to infrastructure and limited local capacity continue to hinder access to assistance.