BOGOTÁ , A magnitude 7.4 earthquake with its epicenter in northwestern Colombia killed at least 111 people, injured 87 and left residents trapped inside collapsed buildings on Monday, prompting the government to move toward declaring a national emergency.
In a televised address, President Abelardo de la Espriella announced the declaration would come within hours, a step that would allow resources to be moved more quickly to the affected areas.
The president added that so far authorities have reported “1,575 viviendas averiadas, 61 edificios colapsados, 18 centros de salud averiados” and asked that the priority be rescuing those who remain beneath the rubble.
The quake struck at 7:34 a.m. local time (12:34 GMT) and had its epicenter in San José del Palmar, a municipality in the department of Chocó, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The largest number of fatalities was recorded in the departments of Risaralda, particularly in the city of Pereira, and Valle del Cauca, especially in Cali, as well as in Chocó.
Dilian Francisca Toro, governor of Valle del Cauca, said part of the Hospital Universitario de Cali had collapsed and that at least five patients from the intensive care unit were trapped under the debris.
In Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, rescue teams and civilians searched for survivors among the remains of dozens of destroyed buildings, passing large chunks of concrete and rubble hand to hand along a long line of volunteers. The scene was eerily similar to images seen in neighboring Venezuela in recent weeks following the devastation caused by two powerful earthquakes.
Jorge Moncayo, a 64-year-old taxi driver from Cali, told The Associated Press that he watched columns of dust rise across the city from his home in a hillside neighborhood as the buildings crumbled. “Tembló toda mi casa… nunca me ha tocado un temblor tan fuerte,” he said.
El más fuerte del siglo XXI
Colombia’s Geological Service said Monday’s event was “el evento sísmico de mayor magnitud registrada en Colombia en el siglo XXI” and that it was followed by 21 smaller aftershocks located in San José del Palmar and Sipí, in the department of Chocó.
“Evacuamos lo más rápido que se pudo… no se había sentido tan fuerte aquí en Bogotá,” Javier Tinoco, a resident who evacuated his home in the north of the Colombian capital, told AP, adding that he was especially nervous as he recalled the earthquakes in Venezuela in June that killed more than 5,000 people.
Michael Schmitz, a geophysicist and professor at the Central University of Venezuela, told AP that the quake was a significant one that recalled the tremor that struck the town of Armenia in 1999 and killed around 1,170 people. However, he explained that one back then “fue un terremoto superficial,” while the one on Monday was deeper, “dentro de la loza de subducción,” which reduced the intensity of the impact on the surface.
De la Espriella ordered the installation of a unified command post bringing together various institutions to coordinate the relief effort. The response to the earthquake represents the first major challenge for the president, an ally of Donald Trump who was sworn into office over the weekend.
The president said he planned to travel to the hardest-hit areas. “No los vamos a dejar solos, están en nuestro corazón y les vamos a tender la mano con toda decisión,” he said.
Colombia’s civil aeronautics agency reported damage to airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura, leading to the suspension of air operations while structural assessments of the infrastructure were carried out.
The tremor was also lightly felt in Panama City, where some buildings were evacuated and the metro system was briefly halted, and somewhat more strongly in areas along the southern border with Colombia, though no injuries or damage were reported.
In Ecuador, the quake was felt in cities such as Tulcán, on the border with Colombia, Ibarra and Quito, the capital, where some people rushed out of tall buildings during a national holiday. No damage or victims were reported.
Regional political leaders including the presidents of Guatemala and El Salvador, the president of Mexico, the Israeli foreign minister and the U.S. secretary of state sent messages of solidarity and offered assistance to Colombia.
AP reporters Megan Janetsky and Sonia Pérez contributed from Mexico City and Guatemala City, respectively.