A powerful earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday morning, rattling much of the country, killing more than 100 people and sending residents fleeing from swaying and crumbling buildings in multiple major cities. As rescuers searched the rubble of damaged buildings and officials warned of possible aftershocks, the death toll appeared likely to rise.
The 7.4 magnitude earthquake occurred at 7:34 a.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Survey and Colombia’s geological service, with the epicenter roughly three miles east of San José del Palmar, a town of some 5,000 people in a rural part of the Chocó region, where officials reported significant damage. Videos showed collapsed and partially collapsed buildings in the major cities of Pereira, Manizales and Cali.
– Genevieve Glatsky and Julie Turkewitz reporting for the New York Times from Bogotá, Colombia
This one in Colombia occurred seven weeks after the devastating 7.5 magnitude earthquake in Venezuela, and does not appear to be related to it.
The epicenters are some 800 miles (1,200 km) apart and on different plates.
There are 15 to 20 earthquakes of this magnitude or greater every year around the world.
Residents of Colombia’s largest cities, Bogotá and Medellín, reported intense shaking, but both appear to have been spared the worst of the damage.
[Reporting and map from the New York Times]