Earthquake with 7.4 magnitude hits Colombia, killing at least 111

At least 111 people have been killed and 87 others injured after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck large parts of western Colombia.

Colombia’s Geological Service said on Monday that it had been “the highest magnitude earthquake registered in Colombia in the last decade.”
Dozens of buildings collapsed across multiple cities, leaving residents trapped under debris and forcing people to evacuate their homes as far away as the capital, Bogota.

Colombia’s newly inaugurated President, Abelardo de la Espriella, declared an emergency to expedite funding for quake recovery and said he plans to visit the disaster zone.

“We aren’t going to leave people alone. They are in our hearts and we are going to tend to people with our full determination,” he said.

The earthquake occurred near the municipality of San Jose del Palmar in Colombia’s Choco region, about 400km (250 miles) west of Bogota, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and Colombia’s geological service. The USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of about 107km (66 miles). The US tsunami warning system said there was no tsunami warning.

The quake was followed by two 2.8 and 4.8 magnitude aftershocks.

Authorities reported that flights were suspended at the airports of Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago, Buenaventura and Pereira. Colombia’s football governing body also postponed upcoming matches.

In Pereira, photos and videos published by local media showed pieces of the airport ceiling falling onto travelers taking shelter and people running through rubble.
Pereira’s mayor, Mauricio Salazar, told a local radio station that many were trapped under “a massive quantity of collapsed buildings”.

The Pacific, particularly the Choco region, is one of the poorest regions in the country. Much of the area is rural and only reachable by boat or plane, which may pose a problem for authorities in assessing the wider toll.

Al Jazeera’s Alessandro Rampiett, reporting from Bogota, said the death toll from the earthquake is expected to climb.

“Authorities believe it will continue to rise as they continue their search operations, especially in the three main urban areas that have been affected.”

In Bogota, the earthquake triggered car and building alarms as people fled into the street. Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan said on social media shortly after the earthquake that there were no reports of injuries, and only some cracks in buildings. “No serious structural damage has been reported in Bogota, so our resources are at the service of the country,” Galan wrote. “We stand in solidarity with the affected cities. We will continue to address this emergency and provide assistance as needed.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is “is closely monitoring the large earthquake that struck Colombia and stands ready to support the people of Colombia”.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was “ready to provide more support” to the South American country.

“We have already mobilised Copernicus, our satellite service, to help with rescue operations,” she wrote on social media.

While Colombia typically registers thousands of small quakes every month, those of magnitude 6.0 or higher are rare. In 1999, a 6.2 magnitude quake struck cities in the country’s coffee region, killing over 1,000 people.

The quake comes weeks after two powerful earthquakes struck neighbouring Venezuela in late June, killing more than 6,000 people and destroying hundreds of buildings. The tremors, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, were among the deadliest earthquakes to hit the region in recent years.