A major earthquake hit Colombia on Monday morning, burying people under rubble and causing severe destruction to buildings and infrastructure in the Pacific region and the central Andes.
The magnitude 7.4 tremor struck at 7:34 a.m. local time near the town of San José del Palmar, Choco province, according to the US Geological Survey. There was at least one aftershock, but no tsunami warning.
The event is the first major test for President Abelardo de la Espriella, who was sworn in on Friday in a ceremony in Cali. He said he would travel to the coffee-producing region of Pereira, which appears to have suffered some of the most intense damage. Local media showed images of people trapped under fallen masonry. In nearby Manizales, a tower was knocked over from the cathedral.
There were reported cracks in buildings in Medellin and Cali, the nation’s second and third largest cities. Medellin’s mayor said there were no initial reports of injuries there.
In Choco, people were injured in the provincial capital of Quibdo, where there was major structural damage to buildings, according to a preliminary report from regional governor Nubia Córdoba.
The earthquake also rocked buildings in Bogota, causing some residents to flee into the streets while still dressed in pajamas. There were no immediate reports of damage, according to the capital’s mayor.
The quake comes less than two months after twin earthquakes struck Venezuela in June. The official death toll from that disaster has surpassed 6,000, ranking it among the deadliest to hit Latin America in recent years.
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