7.4-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Colombia, Killing at Least 111

At least 111 people have been killed and dozens of buildings have collapsed after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, according to authorities.

The earthquake occurred near San José del Palmar in the Chocó region, about 400 kilometres west of the capital, Bogotá, according to the United States Geological Survey and Colombia’s geological service. The quake struck at a depth of approximately 107 kilometres.

Rescue workers have been searching through collapsed buildings for people trapped beneath the rubble, while dozens of others have been injured. The tremor was felt across a wide area, including Bogotá, where residents rushed into the streets as alarms were triggered in buildings and vehicles.

Colombia’s Geological Service described the earthquake as the strongest recorded in the country in the past decade.

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared an emergency to speed up funding and relief efforts and said he planned to visit the affected region.

“We aren’t going to leave people alone,” the president said, pledging that the government would provide assistance with full determination.

The earthquake was followed by aftershocks measuring 2.8 and 4.8 magnitude. Authorities also suspended flights at airports in Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, Buenaventura and Pereira.

In Pereira, local media footage showed sections of an airport ceiling collapsing as passengers sought shelter, while residents were seen running through debris.

The Chocó region, located along Colombia’s Pacific coast, is among the poorest parts of the country. Its largely rural terrain and limited road access could make rescue operations and assessments of the wider damage more difficult.

In Bogotá, Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said there were no immediate reports of deaths or serious injuries in the capital, although some buildings had developed cracks.

Colombia experiences thousands of small earthquakes each month, but quakes measuring 6.0 or higher are relatively uncommon. A magnitude 6.2 earthquake in the country’s coffee-growing region in 1999 killed more than 1,000 people.

The disaster comes only weeks after powerful earthquakes struck neighbouring Venezuela, where more than 6,000 people were reported killed and hundreds of buildings destroyed.

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