Powerful earthquake shakes Colombia, causes destruction, casualties
An earthquake of magnitude 7.4 shook Colombia on Monday morning. The movement was strongly felt in several regions of the country and caused damage, evacuations and casualties.
The Colombian Geological Service located the epicenter near San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó. The earthquake occurred around 7:34 a.m., local time, and had a depth of about 100 kilometers. The magnitude was revised after an initial estimate, according to the Associated Press' early report.
Among the cities where the earthquake was felt were Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, Pereira, Manizales, Armenia and Popayán. There were also reports of the movement in Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela.
In Quibdó, capital of Chocó, authorities reported injured people and damage to buildings. Gov. Nubia Carolina Córdoba reported that emergency teams began the evaluation of the situation in different municipalities of the department.
Damage was also reported in Cali, Pereira and Manizales. In the latter city, damage was reported to the Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica, while the authorities checked other structures.
In Bogota, as reported by Reuters, Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán reported that the first reports did not indicate major damage, although preventive evacuations were carried out in different buildings.
President Abelardo de la Espriella ordered the installation of a Unified Command Post to coordinate the response and announced his travel to Pereira to learn about the situation directly.
The authorities have not yet delivered a definitive national balance of victims and damages. Emergency agencies continue to evaluate homes, public buildings and roads to determine the scope of the emergency.
No tsunami warning associated with the earthquake was issued. The situation remains developing and the authorities are monitoring possible aftershocks.
Originally published by Diario Cristiano, Christian Daily International's Spanish edition.
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