7.4-Magnitude Quake Kills At Least 69 in Colombia

A powerful magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, killing at least 69 people and causing widespread damage across several cities. The quake's epicenter was near San Jose del Palmar, a community of about 4,800 people in the Chocó region approximately 250 miles west of Bogotá.

According to multiple reports, at least 40 people were killed in Pereira, two in Manizales, and 27 in Valle de Cauca. The quake left cities across western Colombia ravaged, with residents picking through rubble amid concerns about aftershocks. In Cali, a city of 2 million people, Mayor Alejandro Eder reported that residents were trapped in at least 19 collapsed buildings.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Colombia's geological agency reported the quake struck at a depth of 66 miles (107 kilometers). It was also felt in neighboring Ecuador and Panama, though minimal damage was reported there. Chocó Governor Nubia Córdoba confirmed injuries and serious damage to buildings in Quibdó.

Colombia's newly inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella took charge of the government's response, assuring residents that 'the state is present and taking action.' The quake follows two back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela last month, which destroyed hundreds of buildings and killed more than 5,000 people.

Local witnesses described scenes of devastation. Jorge Moncayo, a taxi driver in Cali, saw plumes of dust shoot up across the city as buildings collapsed. In Manizales, one tower of the neo-Gothic cathedral collapsed onto the nave, with Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas confirming two deaths due to the quake.

Colombia's Geological Service noted this was the highest magnitude earthquake registered in Colombia in the last decade. The quake triggered evacuations and structural checks across multiple cities, including Medellín where no casualties were reported but evacuation sirens activated in apartment buildings.