At least 132 people have died and 570 others were injured after a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Colombia on Monday, according to President Abelardo de la Espriella, with extensive damage reported across several regions.

The earthquake damaged 1,577 residential buildings and completely destroyed another 37, while more than 60 buildings collapsed. Eighteen health centres and 52 schools were also damaged, according to officials cited by CNN and The New York Times.

Risaralda Among Worst-Hit Areas

Risaralda in west-central Colombia has emerged as one of the worst-affected areas following the earthquake, Governor Juan Diego Patino told radio station BluRadio, according to CNN.

In a statement, President de la Espriella said he had convened an emergency committee to assess the destruction and coordinate the response.

He pledged that the government “will do whatever is necessary” to protect people affected by the disaster and said he would “personally lead efforts” to guide the country through the aftermath.

The governor of Colombia’s northwestern Choco department, Nubia Carolina Cordoba Curi, said the regional capital Quibdo had reported injuries and severe damage to buildings. She also expressed concern about the possibility of aftershocks.

Quake Felt Across Colombia

The US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the earthquake at around 7:34 am local time, with its epicentre near San Jose del Palmar in Colombia’s Choco area, around 280 kilometres west of the capital Bogota. The quake occurred at a depth of 107 kilometres, according to CNN.

Pereira, a city with a population of around 500,000, is located less than 64 kilometres from the reported epicentre, according to The New York Times.

Tremors were felt in several parts of the country, including Bogota. Alarms sounded in the capital, prompting people in several buildings to evacuate onto the streets as a precaution.

Authorities continued to assess the extent of the damage in affected areas as emergency teams worked to respond to casualties and structural destruction.

Bogota Mobilises Rescue and Relief Support

Bogota Mayor Carlos F Galan announced that six collection points would be established in the capital to gather essential supplies for communities affected by the earthquake.

The requested items include drinking water, blankets, quilts, mats, non-perishable food, personal hygiene products and first-aid supplies.

“In Bogota, we have set up 6 collection points to receive donations for the cities most affected by the earthquake. Needed: drinking water, blankets, quilts, mats, non-perishable food, personal hygiene items, and first aid supplies. Please, if you can donate, do so,” Galan wrote on X.

The mayor said no serious impact had been reported in Bogota so far and added that arrangements had been made with the national government to deploy 100 rescuers from the capital to the worst-affected cities.

“So far, no serious impacts have been reported in Bogota. On the other hand, everything has already been coordinated with the National Government so that 100 rescuers from Bogota can travel to the most affected cities and support search and rescue operations. We are ready to continue helping so that the response is as swift as possible. We are all in this together,” he said.

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