At least 77 killed after powerful earthquake hits western Colombia

A powerful earthquake has killed at least seventy-seven people across western Colombia, Dawn reports. The Colombian geological service and the US Geological Survey put the magnitude at seven point four, striking early Monday near San Jose del Palmar in Choco province, though it was felt as far as Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. The heaviest toll was in Risaralda province, where officials reported forty-two deaths, with buildings collapsing in cities including Pereira, Manizales, and Cali. In Cali, rescue teams pulled at least two survivors, an elderly woman and a young girl, from the rubble, while dozens more remained trapped in an estimated twenty-five collapsed structures. The disaster lands just days into the term of new president Abelardo De La Espriella, who suspended his schedule to lead emergency coordination from Bogota. Colombia, crossed by three Andean mountain ranges, has a history of destructive quakes, including one in the same coffee-growing region in 1999 that killed more than a thousand people.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton