Earthquake Shakes Colombian Capital and Pacific Coast

An earthquake on Monday caused injuries and significant damage in a province on Colombia’s Pacific Coast, as well as in the city of Pereira, provincial governors said, after the tremor was felt in the capital, Bogota, and as far away as Venezuela.

Choco Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi reported, “We have just experienced a major earthquake in the department of Choco. We are concerned about aftershocks. Although the epicenter was near San Jose del Palmar, there are injuries and significant damage to buildings in the capital, Quibdo. We are already carrying out a damage assessment and will issue the first official report shortly.”

The governor of neighboring Risaralda province, Juan Diego Patino, noted, “serious damage to some buildings” in Pereira, the provincial capital. “What has just occurred is very severe. The images are truly shocking, with people injured and building facades collapsed,” he shared with local Blu Radio.

The U.S. tsunami warning system confirmed there was no tsunami warning. Colombia’s geological service later revised the quake’s magnitude to 7.4, adjusting its depth to 96 km (60 miles), rather than the previously reported 79 km.

Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management is currently in contact with local authorities to verify potential damage. Bogota’s mayor, Carlos Galan, reassured that there was no major damage in the capital.

Reports have also emerged from Venezuela, where witnesses in the border state of Tachira and the central-western city of Barquisimeto felt the quake. This incident comes in the wake of devastating twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela in June, resulting in over 6,000 fatalities, primarily near the capital, Caracas.

This story is developing, and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.