A magnitude 7.4 earthquake shook much of Colombia this Monday, according to the Colombian Geological Service (SGC), and authorities reported damage in several cities such as Manizales, Cali and Pereira.
The SGC had initially reported that the earthquake had been of magnitude 6.7, but in another bulletin it stated that it was 7.4.
The tremor was felt at 07:34 local time (12:34 GMT) and had as its epicenter the town of San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó, located on the Pacific coast, at a depth of 82 kilometers, the SGC indicated in a first bulletin.
The earthquake was felt in Bogotá, Cali, Popayán, Manizales, Armenia, Pereira, Medellín and other cities in the center and west of the country and in some of them there was material damage.
In Cali and Manizales, part of the facades of many buildings fell off and in the second city one of the cathedral towers was damaged.
“There are many cracked buildings,” said the mayor of Cali, Alejandro Eder, in statements to the Blu Radio station, without information on victims so far.
In Pereira, capital of the department of Risaralda, numerous buildings suffered significant structural damage, including the airport, and some partially collapsed.
For his part, the mayor of Bogotá, Carlos Fernando Galán, pointed out that, at the moment, “there are no reports of structural damage or damage, only some cracks in buildings.”
It has also been felt in the provinces of Ecuador and Panama
In the Ecuadorian capital, the earthquake was felt especially strongly in tall buildings, while in several areas of the Andean province of Imbabura, neighboring Carchi, on the border with Colombia, citizens felt the tremor strongly and left their homes as a precaution, residents of the sector informed EFE.
The Geophysical Institute of the National Polytechnic School received reports from citizens who claimed to have felt the earthquake also in the tropical provinces of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and Los Ríos, as well as in the coastal provinces of Esmeraldas (border with Colombia), Guayas and Manabí.
The National Secretariat for Risk Management indicated that it is carrying out monitoring and perception sweeping throughout the territory of Ecuador, which this Monday ends a three-day holiday, without so far reporting any victims or material damage from the earthquake in Colombia.
At least six airports would have suffered damage
At least six Colombian airports suffered damage from the earthquake, with serious damage to several cities in the west and center, reported the Civil Aeronautics (Aerocivil).
“There are damages at the airports of Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura. For safety reasons, air operations at these terminals remain suspended until structural damage to the infrastructure is evaluated,” Aerocivil said in a statement.
