At least 111 people have been killed and 87 others injured after a powerful earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, destroying buildings in several cities and leaving some residents trapped under the rubble.
The 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck near San José del Palmar in the Chocó province, according to the United States Geological Survey. The quake occurred at a depth of about 107 kilometres but was felt across several major cities in the country.
Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella declared a national state of emergency following the disaster, saying the government’s immediate priority was to rescue people trapped beneath collapsed buildings and provide assistance to affected communities.
The earthquake has become the first major crisis faced by De La Espriella’s administration, just days after he was sworn in as Colombia’s president.
The death toll appeared to be concentrated mainly in Risaralda province, located in the country’s coffee-growing region. Cali, one of Colombia’s largest cities, was also badly affected, with buildings collapsing and residents joining rescue efforts.
A resident of Cali, Juan Carlos Osorio, described the earthquake as sounding like a bomb as he and other residents searched through the debris of a collapsed building.
According to Colombia’s civil aviation authority, flights were temporarily suspended at airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura while officials assessed possible structural damage caused by the earthquake.
Colombia experiences thousands of small earthquakes every month, but seismologists said the strength and location of Monday’s quake contributed to the severity of the destruction.
Northwestern University seismologist Suzan van der Lee said the earthquake’s magnitude was particularly significant, noting that a 7.4-magnitude earthquake releases considerably more energy than a 6.4-magnitude quake.
The disaster has also revived memories of the devastating 1999 earthquake in Colombia’s coffee region, which killed more than 1,000 people.
Rescue teams and residents continued searching through damaged buildings on Monday as authorities worked to locate people still trapped beneath the rubble and assess the full extent of the destruction.
