At least 77 people were killed after a powerful earthquake struck western Colombia early on Monday, leaving people trapped in the rubble of fallen buildings.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the 7.4 quake struck at a depth of 107 km (66 miles) near San José del Palmar, in Chocó, a sparsely populated province on Colombia’s Pacific Coast, but was felt in major cities nationwide.
“Significant casualties and damage are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread,” the agency warned.
The highest reported death toll was in the western province of Risaralda in Colombia’s coffee-growing region, where Governor Juan Diego Patiño reported 42 fatalities.
The quake struck just days after Abelardo De La Espriella was sworn in as president, thrusting the new administration into its first major crisis.
De La Espriella, a right-wing politician who has never before held elected office, said in a video filmed while flying to Bogotá that he was suspending his planned activities to lead emergency coordination efforts out of the capital.
Reuters witnesses in the Venezuelan border state of Táchira and the central-western city of Barquisimeto reported the quake was felt there.
Venezuela was hit by devastating twin earthquakes in June, which killed more than 6 000 people, mostly on the coast near the capital, Caracas. (Reuters)
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