At least 82 people have been killed as a result of a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Colombia.
The earthquake was recorded at a depth of 107 kilometers in Choco province and was also felt in a number of major cities in the country.
A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck western Colombia, killing at least 82 people. As a result of the natural disaster, buildings collapsed in several cities, and some people were trapped under the rubble. Reuters reported this.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake was recorded early Monday morning in the Pacific coastal province of Chocó, near the city of San José del Palmar, at a depth of 107 kilometers. The earthquake was also felt in the country's major cities.
The highest number of casualties was recorded in the western province of Risaralda. According to the provincial governor, Juan Diego Patiño, 42 people died in the area.
Cali, one of Colombia's major cities, also suffered serious damage from the earthquake. According to the city's mayor, Alejandro Eder, at least 30 buildings collapsed, and rescue workers are operating in 10 of them. The number of casualties in the city has not yet been officially confirmed.
Buildings also collapsed in Pereira, the provincial capital. The upper part of one of the towers of the neo-Gothic cathedral in the city of Manizales also fell as a result of the earthquake.
The governor of Chocó province, closest to the earthquake's epicenter, Nubia Carolina Córdoba Curí, reported casualties, dozens of injured people, and extensive destruction in the city of Quibdó. Residents have been warned of the possibility of aftershocks.
Rescue operations are ongoing. The number of casualties and the extent of destruction may increase.
