An M7.4 earthquake hit western Colombia on Monday, killing at least 18 people in the city of Pereira and another three in Manizales.
The earthquake struck around 7:30 and had its epicenter in San Jose del Palmar, a municipality in the Choco province.
In the hour that followed, locals began reporting collapsed buildings in the cities of Cali, Pereira and Manizales, where a tower of the cathedral and a dozen other buildings fully or partially collapsed, according to Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas.
In a first report on fatalities, local media reported that 18 people were killed in Pereira and another three in Manizales.
In Cali, an unknown number of people would be trapped under the rubble of two buildings and the local airport was reportedly closed.
Large parts of the roof of the Pereira airport came down, according to local media.
In Quibdo, the capital of Choco, a four-story building reportedly collapsed. Multiple people would have been injured, Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba said on social media platform X.
The earthquake was also felt strongly in the capital Bogota and in Medellin where no injuries were reported.
In an initial response, President Abelardo de la Espriella said on social media platform X that he had “personally taken charge of the emergency response in San José del Palmar.”
“I will also be in Pereira in person to stand with those affected and monitor the government’s response,” said De la Espriella, who took office on Friday and has yet to appoint a director of disaster response agency UNGRD.
The president later reported that he was on his way to Bogota to lead rescue efforts from the UNGRD main office.
I have established a Unified Command Post at the UNGRD, from where I will personally lead the efforts to assist the communities in Chocó, the Coffee Region, and all affected areas.
President Abelardo de la Espriella
According to the Colombian Geological Service, the earthquake was the strongest in Colombia of the past decade.
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