A powerful earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday morning, rattling much of the country and sending residents fleeing from buildings in the capital, Bogotá, and other cities. Local officials said at least 20 people were killed as rescuers searched the rubble of damaged buildings and officials set up temporary shelters while warning of possible aftershocks.
The 7.4 magnitude earthquake occurred at 7:34 a.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Survey, with the epicenter about 3 miles east of San José del Palmar, a town of about 5,000 people in a rural part of the Chocó region, where officials reported significant damage. Videos showed partially collapsed buildings in the major cities of Pereira, Manizales and Cali.
Mauricio Salazar, the mayor of Pereira, a city of about 500,000 that is roughly 35 miles from the epicenter, told a national radio station that 18 people there had been killed in the quake. The mayor of Manizales, Jorge Eduardo Rojas reported two deaths and said the city was opening its coliseum for those who needed a safe place to shelter.
The epicenter was about 150 miles west of Bogotá, 100 miles south of Medellín and about 100 miles north of Cali, Colombia’s third largest city with about 2 million residents. At least 20 buildings had collapsed in Cali, trapping people inside, according to its mayor, Alejandro Eder.
Mr. Eder instructed residents to evacuate their buildings if they observed visible damage. “We are already managing this emergency alongside all of Cali’s rescue agencies,” he said.
Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi, the governor of Chocó, said on social media that there were injuries and significant damage to buildings in Quibdó, the capital of the region where about 140,000 people live. The governor of neighboring Valle del Cauca said officials were assessing the extent of the destruction in coordination with relief agencies.
On X, Colombia’s new president, Abelardo De La Espriella, said that he had “personally assumed leadership” of the emergency response to the quake. “You are not alone,” he wrote. “The state is present and taking action.”
Here’s what to know:
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Colombia’s President: Mr. De La Espriella, who took office on Friday, said that he had established a unified command post and solicited a detailed situation report from the country’s disaster management agency, to help him assess the most urgent needs. “I will also be in Pereira in person to stand with those affected and oversee the Government’s response,” he said, referring to a city where damaged has been reported.
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Venezuela Quakes: The quake comes just weeks after twin temblors of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude devastated Venezuela, killing more than 6,000 people, overwhelming morgues and leaving tens of thousands displaced with many more missing and likely dead.
