BOGOTA, Colombia — The death toll from a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck western Colombia on Monday has risen to 69, according to local officials. Dozens of buildings across several cities collapsed, trapping residents under debris and forcing widespread evacuations.
The earthquake's epicenter was in San José del Palmar, a community of approximately 4,800 people in the Chocó region, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) west of the capital, Bogota. The U.S. Geological Survey and Colombia's Geological Service said the quake struck at a depth of 66 miles (107 kilometers).
Local authorities confirmed 18 fatalities in Pereira, a city in the country's coffee-producing mountains. Two people died in Manizales, another mountain city. The Valle del Cauca department, home to Cali, Colombia's third-largest city, accounted for 27 deaths. The Chocó governor's office also reported four people killed and 69 injured in its jurisdiction.
Cities across western Colombia, including Pereira, Quibdó, Cali and Manizales, sustained significant damage. Rescue teams and residents worked through the rubble of collapsed structures. Colombia's interior minister said more than 20 municipalities nationwide were affected.
Jorge Moncayo, a 64-year-old taxi driver in Cali, described seeing plumes of dust rise across the city from his home in the hills as buildings fell. He told reporters his entire house shook and that he had never experienced such a powerful earthquake.
Colombia's Geological Service said Monday's quake was the highest-magnitude earthquake recorded in the country in the past decade. Two aftershocks, measuring 2.8 and 4.8 magnitude, followed the main tremor. Authorities suspended flights at airports in Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, Buenaventura and Pereira.
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced he would personally oversee recovery efforts. Mauricio Salazar, Pereira's mayor, told a local radio station that many people remained trapped under collapsed buildings in his city.
The earthquake alarmed many in the Andean nation, following two back-to-back quakes that devastated neighboring Venezuela in late June. Those tremors destroyed hundreds of buildings and killed more than 5,000 people, leaving families still searching for loved ones.
The quake was also felt in neighboring Ecuador and Panama, though officials there reported minimal damage. Authorities warned of the potential for further aftershocks as search and rescue operations continued across the affected regions.
