Earthquake in Colombia: at least 18 dead, people may be trapped under the rubble
Kyiv • UNN
A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia, killing at least 18 people. More people may be trapped under the rubble of buildings, and there are concerns about aftershocks.
In Colombia, a powerful earthquake killed more than a dozen people, and there are fears that even more people may be trapped under the rubble of buildings, UNN reports, citing the BBC.
Details
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck at a depth of 103 km in the province of Chocó, the country's geological service reported.
The mayor of Pereira, located in Colombia's coffee region, said that at least 18 people had been killed in the earthquake.
The earthquake occurred less than two months after two earthquakes devastated northern neighboring Venezuela, killing more than 6,100 people.
Monday's earthquake epicenter was near the village of San José del Palmar in the province of Chocó, on the country's Pacific coast.
Chocó Governor Nubia Carolina Córdoba reported casualties but did not specify their number. She also expressed concern about possible aftershocks.
The earthquake was felt hundreds of kilometers to the east, in the capital, Bogotá, where several buildings were evacuated.
The mayor of Cali said that about 25 buildings had collapsed in Colombia's third-most populous city.
The country's aviation authority reported damage at several regional airports, including those in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura.
In the capital, Bogotá, trees and traffic lights shook violently.
People ran out of their homes and offices. They reported feeling the ground moving beneath them for nearly two minutes.
The capital's mayor, Carlos Fernando Galán, said he had received reports of cracks in buildings, but so far no serious damage to the city's infrastructure had been reported.