A powerful earthquake hit Colombia on Monday, killing more than 70 people, according to estimates from the local authorities. Tremors were felt in several major cities across the country, as well as neighboring Ecuador and Panama.
Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management said the epicenter was located near the town of San Jose del Palmar in the Pacific department of Choco, at a depth of around 79 km, and measured 6.6 in magnitude. Other monitors put the magnitude higher. The US Geological Survey estimated it at 7.4 magnitude and the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center put it at 7.2.
The governor of Choco, Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi, confirmed that the earthquake caused significant damage in the provincial capital and beyond, warning of potential aftershocks. “There are injuries and significant damage to buildings in the capital, Quibdo. We are already carrying out a damage assessment and will issue the first official report shortly,” she wrote on X.
Footage circulating online shows widespread destruction in the city of Pereira, the capital of the neighboring Risaralda department. Crowds of people were seen rushing into the streets covered in dust from the collapsing buildings. At least 40 people were killed across the department, according to the local authorities.
Similar scenes were filmed in the city of Manizales, Caldas department, where the historic Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica apparently partially collapsed, and one of the spires crashed into the dome. At least 12 people were killed in the city, the mayor said.
A further 27 people have been killed across the Valle de Cauca department, according to local officials.
This comes a month and a half after a devastating earthquake hit neighboring Venezuela. At the time, two back-to-back 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes destroyed hundreds of buildings across the country, hitting the capital, Caracas, and killing more than 5,000 people.