A man leaves an apartment building after an earthquake struck Colombia (AP Photo) A powerful earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, causing injuries and significant damage in the Pacific province of Choco and prompting people to evacuate homes and buildings. The tremor was also felt in the capital Bogota and as far away as neighbouring Venezuela and Ecuador.The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and Colombia’s geological service reported the earthquake at magnitude 7.4 with a. The epicentre was near San Jose del Palmar, about 400 km west of Bogota, at a depth of 96 km (60 miles), as quoted by Reuters.The earthquake caused significant damage across western Colombia, with 20 buildings collapsing in Cali, according to the city’s mayor, who also said people were trapped inside collapsed structures. Damage was also reported at airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura, where air operations were suspended, Colombia’s aviation authority said.Choco Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi said there were injuries and significant damage to buildings in the provincial capital, Quibdo, while authorities began assessing the impact. She also warned of possible aftershocks. “We have just experienced a major earthquake in the departmentof Choco. We are concerned about aftershocks. Although the epicenter was near San Jose del Palmar, there are injuries and significant damage to buildings in the capital, Quibdo. We are already carrying out a damage assessment and will issue the first official report shortly,” governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi said on X.
Governor of Chocó gives update on earthquake
Additionally, the governor of neighboring Risaralda province, Juan Diego Patino, told local Blu Radio there was “serious damage to some buildings” in Pereira, the provincial capital. “What has just occurred is very severe. The images are truly shocking, with people injured and building facades collapsed,” he said.Meanwhile, Bogota’s mayor, Carlos Galan, said on X there was no major damage in the capital.
