7.4 quake hits Colombia
The quake’s epicenter was in San Jose Del Palmar, a community of about 4,800 people in the Choco region about 250 miles (400 kilometers) west of Bogota, and the USGS said it struck at a depth of 66 miles (107 kilometers).
1450 AM 99.7 FM WHTCIn the city of Pereira, local officials confirmed at least 18 people had been killed, while Colombia’s interior minister said more than 20 municipalities across the country had been hit.
Colombia’s newly inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella said Monday that he had personally taken charge of the government’s response in San José del Palmar, telling Colombians, “You are not alone. The state is present and taking action,” as residents and search teams picked through rubble amid concerns by authorities of aftershocks.
Aftershocks, evacuations, officials
As the death toll was reported at least 69 by Al Jazeera, the earthquake trapped residents under debris and forced evacuations as far as Bogota, where Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan said on social media there were no reports of injuries and only some cracks in buildings.
Al Jazeera quoted Choco Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi saying on X, “We are concerned about aftershocks,” and she added that there were injuries and significant damage to buildings in Quibdo.
ABC NewsIn Manizales, the BBC reported that one of the towers of the neo-Gothic cathedral collapsed and fell on the nave, and mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas said two people had died in the city “because of the quake” and asked residents to stay outside in case of aftershocks.
In Cali, Mayor Alejandro Eder said residents were trapped in at least 19 buildings that had collapsed, while authorities also reported that flights were suspended in the airports of Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago y Buenaventura and Pereira as search and damage assessments continued.
State response and regional stakes
In Bogota, the earthquake triggered car and building alarms as people fled into the street, and Al Jazeera reported that emergency teams assessed the quake’s impact while authorities in Colombia and Ecuador urged residents to remain alert.
The stakes also reached beyond Colombia’s borders, with Al Jazeera noting the quake was felt in neighboring Ecuador and Panama and that the US tsunami warning system said there was no tsunami warning.
Meanwhile, the Guardian reported that Abelardo De La Espriella declared a national state of emergency to coordinate rescue efforts, and it said the decision was taken as the president convened an emergency meeting at the crisis room of Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management in Bogotá.