7.4 Earthquake Kills At Least 71 In Western Colombia, Traps People In Collapsed Buildings

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, killing at least 71 people and trapping others under debris of collapsed buildings, as the country’s newly inaugurated president Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national disaster to mobilize emergency efforts.

“At least 71 people are dead in the 7.4-magnitude earthquake”

NBC News

The epicenter was reported in the municipality of San José del Palmar in the department of Chocó, and Colombia’s civil aviation authority said airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura had been affected with flights suspended pending an assessment of structural damage.

ABC

In Valle del Cauca, Gov. Dilian Francisca Toro said “the situation is serious,” reporting 27 deaths across the department including three children, while speaking from the University Hospital of the Valley where she said the facility suffered “structural collapses” and rescue and evacuation operations were underway.

In Chocó, Gov. Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi reported on social media that as of 10:43 a.m. there were four deaths and 69 people injured, and CBS News later said the quake prompted evacuations as far away as Bogotá.

USGS also reported a 5.0 magnitude aftershock less than an hour later, and the earthquake was felt in Ecuador to the south, according to witnesses described by CBS News.

As officials tallied casualties across multiple departments, CBS News said the earthquake killed at least 78 people, while NBC News reported at least 71 deaths and described dozens of injuries and people trapped inside collapsed buildings.

Chocó Gov. Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi wrote on social media that at least nine people had died and 80 more were injured in her province, and she said, “We are already conducting a damage assessment to issue the first official report,” according to NBC News.

ABC News

In Cali, Mayor Alejandro Eder said residents were trapped in at least 20 buildings that had collapsed, and taxi driver Jorge Moncayo told CBS News, “My entire house shook.”

In Bogotá, residents reported feeling the shaking, and Valeria Polo, a 29-year-old content creator, told Agence France-Presse, “The quake was very, very strong,” as CBS News described search teams picking through rubble.

The quake also triggered evacuations and airport disruptions, with CBS News saying flights were suspended at multiple airports including Pereira, Manizales, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura, while NBC News reported the president ordered an “establishment of a Unified Command Post” to coordinate response.

Colombia’s Geological Service said Monday’s seismic activity was “the highest magnitude earthquake registered in Colombia in the last decade,” and NBC News reported the president Abelardo de la Espriella was awaiting a “detailed report on the situation and the most urgent needs.”

“"the highest magnitude earthquake registered in Colombia in the last decade"”

CBS News

In addition to the main shock, CBS News said USGS reported a 5.0 magnitude aftershock less than an hour later, while AP News said the local geological service reported at least two aftershocks of magnitudes 2.8 and 4.8.

The response effort centered on coordination and access, with NBC News describing emergency response teams setting tents and ordering a Unified Command Post, and Fox News saying residents evacuated homes and buildings as the tremor struck.

Airport impacts were a continuing operational concern, with AP News stating that the Aeronáutica Civil colombiana reported airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura were affected and that operations were suspended to evaluate “daños estructurales en la infrastructura.”

Outside Colombia, Al Jazeera reported that the quake was felt in Ecuador and that authorities urged residents to remain alert for aftershocks, while the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration was “stands ready to support the people of Colombia.”