A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake has left at least 111 people dead and 87 others injured in western Colombia, with collapsed buildings, damaged homes and widespread destruction reported across more than 20 municipalities.
The earthquake struck at about 8:34 a.m. ET on Monday, with its epicentre in San José del Palmar, a rural community in Chocó province located about 250 miles west of Bogotá, according to the US Geological Survey and Colombian authorities.
A 5.0-magnitude aftershock hit less than an hour later as rescue teams searched damaged structures for survivors and officials worked to determine the full extent of the destruction.
President Abelardo de la Espriella declared an emergency to allow funds to be released more quickly for recovery operations as rescuers and residents continued digging through collapsed buildings.
“You are not alone,” Mr de la Espriella said in a video message. “Colombia has a president who cares about the people and who will do everything in his power to help them in the most difficult moments.”
The highest number of deaths was reported in areas surrounding Chocó. Risaralda recorded at least 40 fatalities, including deaths in Pereira, while Valle del Cauca reported 27 deaths. The province is home to Cali, Colombia's third-largest city.
Chocó authorities said 12 people had died in the province, while four others were killed in Manizales in the Caldas region. Another death was recorded in Antioquia, according to the provincial governor.
The quake damaged hundreds of buildings across more than 20 municipalities, leaving several communities facing major rescue and recovery efforts.
In Cali, where about two million people live, 30 structures collapsed, according to Mayor Alejandro Eder. The powerful shaking sent residents into panic as buildings moved and clouds of dust filled parts of the city.
“My entire house shook,” Jorge Moncayo, a 64-year-old taxi driver in Cali, said. “I've never lived through such a powerful earthquake.”
Pereira was among the hardest-hit areas. Mayor Mauricio Salazar said at least 18 people had died in the city, adding that many others could still be trapped beneath “a massive quantity of collapsed buildings”.
Manizales also suffered heavy damage, with 17 buildings collapsing and another 19 sustaining partial damage. Part of a tower at the city's neo-Gothic cathedral fell onto the nave during the earthquake.
The violent shaking was felt well beyond the area around the epicentre. The USGS estimated that about 10.5 million people experienced strong to very strong shaking.
Residents reported feeling the earthquake in Bogotá and in coastal areas as far away as Barranquilla. The tremor was also felt across the border in neighbouring Ecuador.
The disaster disrupted air travel, with flights suspended at airports serving Pereira, Manizales, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura. In Armenia, people were evacuated from their homes because of concerns about possible structural damage.
Authorities in Bogotá, however, said there had been no structural damage in the capital.
The earthquake was described as the strongest recorded in Colombia since official record-keeping began in the early 1920s.
Colombia is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area known for major seismic activity. The country's coffee-growing region was previously hit by a powerful earthquake in 1999 that killed more than 1,200 people.
Rescue teams remained at the affected sites as authorities assessed damaged areas and continued searching collapsed structures for people who may have survived the disaster.