The 7.4-magnitude quake struck western Colombia’s Choco province, killing at least 111 people and injuring nearly 90.
More than 1,000 buildings were damaged, with rescue operations under way in several cities.
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at a depth of 107km. Colombia's geological service said it was the strongest earthquake recorded in the country in the 21st century.
Here’s the intensity of the quake across the wider region.
“The national government is maintaining all its capacities deployed to protect lives, assist affected communities and deliver aid to every area that needs it,” President Abelardo de la Espriella said from Bogota.
The country has declared a national state of emergency.
Colombia's geological service said numerous aftershocks had been recorded by late on Aug 10 and warned that additional tremors were likely.
Here’s where the quake struck and where the aftershocks with magnitudes above 2.5 were recorded.
Colombia’s Pacific region sits on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire and records thousands of mostly minor earthquakes each month.
The country’s coffee region was devastated by a magnitude 6.1 earthquake in 1999 that killed more than 1,000 people, particularly around Armenia and Pereira.
The Aug 10 quake was one of the strongest in Colombia’s recent history.