Colombia has declared a state of emergency following a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake that killed at least 111 people, injured 87 others and damaged more than 1,000 buildings.
Gatekeepers News reports that the earthquake struck western Colombia at 7:34am local time (1234 GMT) on Monday, triggering frantic rescue operations as authorities searched for people trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
“The national government is maintaining all its capacities deployed to protect lives, assist affected communities and deliver aid to every area that needs it,” President Abelardo de la Espriella said from the capital, Bogota.
The president, who was appointed to the position three days ago, confirmed the death toll and said more than 1,000 buildings had been damaged.
The epicentre of the earthquake was located in the coastal Chocó region at a depth of about 100 kilometres (60 miles). Authorities in the impoverished region reported 12 deaths.
Pereira and surrounding areas in the Risaralda region were among the worst affected, with local authorities reporting at least 40 deaths.
In nearby Manizales, the earthquake caused part of a tower belonging to a prominent cathedral to collapse, while numerous other buildings were damaged.
“A great many buildings” in the city sustained damage, administrative worker Jaime Zuluaga, 50, said.
“Traffic is paralysed, and people don’t want to go back to their homes for fear of an aftershock,” he added.
At least 20 buildings collapsed in Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, trapping people under the rubble, Mayor Alejandro Eder said.
In Quibdo, the capital of Chocó, the state governor warned of severe damage, while videos from the city showed several buildings reduced to rubble.
“We are all devastated,” Quibdo community leader Luis Gregorio Moreno told AFP.
“At this moment there are reported deaths and dozens of wounded, but what there are most of are missing people,” Moreno said.
The earthquake was also felt in neighbouring Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela. In Bogota, residents rushed out of buildings and into the streets as authorities ordered evacuations in several areas.
AFP reporters observed crowds fleeing their homes, with some still wearing their pyjamas.
“The quake was very, very strong,” said 29-year-old content creator Valeria Polo in Bogota, where only minimal damage was reported.
Six small airports in western Colombia suspended operations following the earthquake, according to the civil aeronautics agency, while the country’s football governing body postponed upcoming matches.
International offers of assistance quickly followed.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was “closely monitoring the large earthquake that struck Colombia and stands ready to support the people of Colombia.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said the European Union was “ready to provide more support” to Colombia.
“We have already mobilised Copernicus, our satellite service, to help with rescue operations,” she said in a social media post.
Israel, Mexico, Ecuador and France also offered assistance to Colombia as rescue and relief operations continued.
The disaster comes as Latin America remains affected by two major earthquakes that struck Venezuela in June, killing more than 6,000 people and causing widespread destruction.
