Massive 7.4 magnitude earthquake ravages parts of western Colombia

“A devastating 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, killing over 100 people, wrecking hundreds of buildings, and leaving untold numbers trapped beneath the rubble as rescue crews searched desperately for survivors,” notes Leslie Eastman. It also “ravaged” the major Colombian city of Cali, which has more than two million people..

The quake’s epicenter was in San Jose Del Palmar, a town with 4,800 people in the Choco region about 250 miles  west of Colombia’s capital, Bogota. The quake was felt in the neighboring nations of Ecuador and Panama, though very little damage was reported there. The Associated Press says that the “quake ravaged cities across western Colombia, including Pereira, Quibdo, Cali and Manizales.”

The U.S. Geological Survey said that yesterday’s “magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Colombia caused strong shaking across western Columbia. An estimated 1.5 million people experienced shaking near intensity 7, strong enough to cause damage to unreinforced masonry buildings especially.”

Hundreds of buildings collapsed during and after the quake. Fox News notes that “A harrowing video showed the collapse of a building after a powerful 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, bringing down buildings across several cities…as the death toll rapidly rose and others were left trapped in the rubble. The video shows the building crumbling during the earthquake with onlookers screaming in horror before it ultimately gives way. The highest reported death toll was in Pereira, a city in Colombia’s coffee-growing region, where” at least “18 people had died. In nearby Manizales,” at least “three people were killed.” At least “one person died in Buenaventura, Colombia’s main Pacific port, when a building collapsed, trapping several people.”

Even before the full scope of the damage became clear, Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella said that at least 1,600 buildings were damaged. He declared an emergency to expedite funding for the quake recovery while saying he would visit the disaster zone.

Non-relief flights have been suspended in parts of Colombia by its government. “The affected airports are Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, Buenaventura and Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali…Commercial flights remain suspended at the affected airports until structural inspections are completed. Only medical flights and government aircraft are currently authorized to operate from those facilities.”

More than 6,000 people died in a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in neighboring Venezuela in June.

Last year, at least 120 people died in an earthquake in Tibet.

Dozens of people were killed in an earthquake in Northern Afghanistan in November.

On August 31, an earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed over 1,000 people.