At least 77 people were killed in an earthquake in Colombia
This is the first challenge for the country's new president, who recently took office
The earthquake struck near Colombia's Pacific coast / Photo: Unsplash/David Restrepo
At least 77 people have died as a result of a powerful earthquake in western Colombia, Reuters reported, citing data from local authorities. The death toll may still rise as search operations for survivors trapped under the rubble continue, Bloomberg added.
The earthquake measured 7.4 on the magnitude scale; it struck at 7:34 a.m. local time at a depth of 107 km near the city of San José del Palma, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter was located in a sparsely populated province on the Pacific coast, Reuters reports. The earthquake caused buildings to collapse in several towns, trapping people under the rubble. The tremors were also felt in larger cities across the country. At the time of this writing, the highest death toll—42—was in the coffee-growing province of Risaralda, Reuters reports. The main quake was followed by at least one aftershock, but there was no tsunami threat, Bloomberg reported.
In Cali, the country’s third-most populous city, at least 19 buildings collapsed, according to Bloomberg. In Medellín, the second-largest city, cracks were observed in several buildings, though no injuries were reported. Tremors were felt in the capital, Bogotá: local residents ran out into the streets in their pajamas, but no damage has been reported so far, the agency reports.
The earthquake struck just a few days after the inauguration of the new president, Abelardo De la Esprieya: the new administration is facing its first major crisis, Reuters notes. Authorities have declared a national state of emergency, the agency reports. Bloomberg suggested that the disaster will make it more difficult for the president to fulfill his promise to freeze budget spending.
The U.S. is ready to support the people of Colombia and its president, Secretary of State Mark Rubio said on the social media platform X.
Smaller earthquakes are not uncommon in Colombia, but landslides are the country’s main natural disaster, according to Reuters. In June, a series of earthquakes struck Venezuela, killing more than 6,100 people.
This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor
