BOGOTA, Aug 11: A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, killing at least 79 people, damaging buildings and trapping residents under rubble, while tremors were felt as far away as the capital Bogota.
The epicentre was near San Jose del Palmar, a community of around 4,800 people in the Choco region, about 400 kilometres west of Bogota, according to the US Geological Survey and Colombia’s geological service. The quake occurred at a depth of about 107 kilometres and was also felt in neighbouring Ecuador and Panama, where no major damage was reported.
Officials said at least 40 people were killed in Risaralda region, including the hard-hit city of Pereira, while 27 deaths were reported in Valle del Cauca, home to Colombia’s third-largest city, Cali. At least three of the victims in Valle del Cauca were children.
Authorities also reported nine deaths in Choco, two in Caldas and one in Antioquia. Scores of people were injured across the affected regions.
Cities including Pereira, Quibdo, Cali and Manizales suffered damage, with residents and rescue teams searching through collapsed structures for survivors. Authorities said more than 20 municipalities had been affected.
The earthquake struck Colombia’s Pacific region, which lies along the seismically active “Ring of Fire”. Choco, one of the country’s poorest regions, is largely covered by dense jungle and many communities are accessible only by boat or aircraft, complicating rescue and damage-assessment efforts.
Colombia’s Geological Service described the earthquake as the strongest recorded in the country in the past decade. It was followed by aftershocks measuring 2.8 and 4.8 magnitude.
Flights were temporarily suspended at airports in Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago, Buenaventura and Pereira as authorities assessed the damage.
In Cali, Mayor Alejandro Eder said residents were trapped in at least 19 collapsed buildings. In Pereira, Mayor Mauricio Salazar said several people were believed to be trapped beneath large amounts of debris.
Local media showed images of damage at Pereira airport, where sections of the ceiling reportedly fell as passengers sought shelter.
In Manizales, one of the towers of the city’s neo-Gothic cathedral collapsed onto the nave. Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas urged residents to remain outside because of the risk of further tremors.
Jorge Moncayo, a 64-year-old taxi driver in Cali, said the earthquake sent clouds of dust into the air as buildings collapsed.
“My entire house shook. I’ve never lived through such a powerful earthquake,” he said.
President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office over the weekend, said he had personally taken charge of the government’s response in San Jose del Palmar.
“You are not alone. The state is present and taking action,” he said.
The earthquake poses the first major emergency for the newly inaugurated president.
Small earthquakes are relatively common in central and western Colombia, but tremors above magnitude 6 are rare. A 6.2-magnitude earthquake near Armenia in 1999 killed more than 1,100 people.
Messages of support and offers of assistance came from governments across the Americas, including Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador and the United States.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration was monitoring the situation and was prepared to assist Colombia.
The United Nations also expressed its readiness to provide support as rescue and relief operations continue.
