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A major earthquake killed at least 47 people in western Colombia on Monday morning, authorities said, with buildings flattened in several cities.
The 7.4-magnitude earthquake caused significant damage in the cities of Cali, Pereira and Manizales, according to local reports. Its epicentre was near the town of San José del Palmar, in the impoverished western Chocó province, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The mayor of Pereira, a city of about 500,000 people in Colombia’s western coffee-growing region, told local media 18 people had been killed, with many more trapped. Another 27 died in the province of Valle de Cauca — where Cali is located — and two more in Manizales, authorities said.
President Abelardo de la Espriella was inaugurated three days earlier in Cali, a city of 2.3mn people where the mayor said buildings have collapsed, with people trapped in the rubble.
De la Espriella initially said he would travel to Pereira, before announcing he would instead go to Bogotá to oversee the crisis response.
“To Colombians going through difficult times today, I want to say: you are not alone,” he said in a video posted on social media. “You have a president who cares deeply about his people and who will do everything necessary to protect and support you.”
Neighbouring Venezuela was hit by devastating twin earthquakes in June, killing at least 6,000 people, according to government figures.
The roof of Pereira’s airport, where many tourists arrive to visit coffee farms, appeared to collapse in videos on social media. Seven airports in the region have been closed in response to the disaster, the country’s civil aeronautics agency said.
In Manizales, videos published by local media showed one of the towers of the neo-Gothic cathedral in the town’s historic central square collapsing on to the building’s nave.
The earthquake was also felt in Bogotá, some 280km from the epicentre, where buildings wobbled and residents were evacuated on to the streets. Carlos Fernando Galán, the city’s mayor, said no major damage had yet been reported.
Reports indicate it was also felt in the neighbouring countries of Ecuador and Venezuela.
Cartography by Jana Tauschinski
