At least 20 people have been killed after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia, causing widespread destruction and damaging buildings across several cities.
The earthquake struck at 7:34 a.m. local time on Monday, with its epicentre near San José del Palmar in the department of Chocó.
The Colombia Geological Service (SGC) said the earthquake was the strongest recorded in the country in a decade.
It was initially measured at a lower magnitude before being revised upward to 7.4, with its depth estimated at about 100 kilometres.
The tremor was felt across large parts of Colombia, including the coffee-growing cities of Pereira, Manizales and Armenia, as well as Medellín, the country’s second-largest city.
The shaking was also felt in Bogotá and neighbouring Ecuador and Venezuela.
The impact was particularly severe in Manizales, where part of the tower of the city’s historic cathedral collapsed.
Pereira, in Risaralda, was also among the worst-affected areas, with authorities reporting significant structural damage.
Operations at airports in Pereira, Manizales and Armenia were temporarily suspended to allow officials to inspect runways and other infrastructure.
In Cali, at least 19 buildings were reported damaged, with some people trapped inside structures as rescue teams were deployed to the affected areas.
Quibdó, the capital of Chocó and the city closest to the earthquake’s epicentre, also recorded injuries and significant damage to buildings.
Chocó Governor Nubia Carolina Córdoba urged residents to remain alert for possible aftershocks as emergency teams continued to assess the extent of the destruction.
The earthquake also prompted a national emergency response, with recently inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella saying he was overseeing the response and expected to travel to Pereira as rescue and recovery operations continued.
Emergency agencies were deployed to affected areas to search damaged buildings, assist injured residents and assess infrastructure as reports of collapsed structures and trapped people emerged.
Authorities urged residents to stay alert for aftershocks and avoid entering damaged buildings until they had been inspected and declared safe by emergency and structural assessment teams.
The number of casualties and the extent of the damage could rise as rescue workers reach more affected communities and communication links are restored.