A magnitude 7.4 earthquake rocks Colombia: at least 18 dead, injuries and severe damage reported
The epicenter was located near San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó. Authorities reported injuries and damage to buildings, while emergency crews assess the damage.
Women look at a collapsed building following the earthquake in Colombia
A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia on Monday, leaving an initial death toll of 18 and causing at least 20 buildings to collapse in the western part of the country. The quake was also felt in several of Colombia’s major cities, as well as in parts of Ecuador and Panama, according to authorities and AFP.
The quake occurred at 7:34 a.m. local time and had its epicenter in San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó, in western Colombia.
The Colombian Geological Service (SGC) had initially reported a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 but later updated the reading to 7.4, according to El Espectador. The agency estimated the earthquake's depth at about 60 miles.
The tremor was felt in numerous locations across Colombia, including Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, Bucaramanga, Villavicencio, Cúcuta, Valledupar and Envigado.
Injuries and damage reported in Chocó
Initial assessments indicated particularly significant damage in the western part of the country.
The governor of Chocó reported that in Quibdó, the department's capital, there were injuries and severe damage to buildings, according to a report from the AFP news agency.
So far, authorities have not specified the total number of injured or the full extent of the damage.
Colombian media outlets broadcast images of collapsed facades and other damage to buildings as emergency agencies began their inspections.
The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) initiated contact with local authorities and entities that make up the National Risk Management System to assess the potential damage caused by the earthquake.
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Cali reports "serious damage"
The earthquake was felt strongly in that city, one of Colombia's most populous and located relatively close to the epicenter.
In Bogotá, numerous buildings were evacuated following the tremor. AFP journalists observed residents pouring into the streets as sirens sounded in various parts of the capital.
Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán initially reported that there were no reports of significant structural damage in the city, although some cracks had been detected in buildings. Teams from the District Institute for Risk Management began inspections in various neighborhoods.
The earthquake was also felt outside Colombia
The tremor was also felt in Quito, Ecuador, and in Panama, according to AFP. The agency noted that no tsunami warning was issued following the earthquake.
Colombia's General Maritime Directorate (DIMAR) is the agency responsible, through the National Tsunami Warning Center, for assessing earthquakes that could potentially trigger such events and for providing technical information to Colombia's risk management system.
Region of high seismic activity
Colombia is located in an area of high seismic activity due to the interaction of several tectonic plates, primarily the Nazca, South American and Caribbean plates.
The Colombian Geological Service explains that a significant portion of the country's seismic activity is concentrated precisely in the Pacific region, where the Nazca Plate subducts beneath the South American Plate.
Monday's earthquake occurred less than two months after the devastating earthquakes recorded on June 24 in neighboring Venezuela, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, which left more than 6,000 dead, according to AFP.
Colombian authorities are continuing to assess the consequences of the earthquake, so the toll of injuries and damage could be updated in the coming hours.
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