A man looks at a damaged vehicle after an earthquake impacted Cali, Colombia, on Monday. The 7.4-magnitude quake shook much of the country, and authorities reported damage in several cities, including Manizales, Cali and Pereira. Photo by Ernesto Guzman/EPA
Aug. 10 (UPI) — A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday and was felt as far away as Ecuador and Panama, prompting evacuations and causing structural damage in several Colombian cities.
The earthquake struck at 7:34 a.m. local time, according to a preliminary report from the Colombian Geological Service, or SGC.
The epicenter was located near the municipality of San José del Palmar in Colombia’s western Chocó department. Strong, prolonged shaking was also reported in Ecuador and Panama, triggering widespread evacuations and scenes of panic.
Despite the strength of the earthquake, international monitoring agencies and the SGC reported a depth of between 51 to 66 miles, a factor that reduced the intensity of shaking at the surface.
The earthquake was felt in Bogotá, Cali, Popayán, Manizales, Armenia, Pereira, Medellín and other cities across central and western Colombia. Property damage was reported in several locations.
National authorities had not immediately confirmed any deaths, though Colombian media reported significant structural damage.
Chocó Gov. Nubia Carolina Córdoba confirmed that several people were injured in Quibdó, the departmental capital, by falling masonry and pieces of building facades.
In Manizales, debris fell from one of the towers of the city’s landmark cathedral, Colombian newspaper El Tiempo reported.
Risaralda Gov. Juan Diego Patiño Ochoa said Pereira sustained severe damage to homes and businesses, including major structural failures, extensive cracking and collapsed sections of building facades. Matecaña International Airport also sustained damage.
In Ecuador, the earthquake interrupted the national holiday commemorating the First Cry of Independence. Residents in the provinces of Carchi, Pichincha, Guayas and Esmeraldas reported prolonged shaking, prompting precautionary evacuations at major hospitals in Quito.
Panama’s National Civil Protection System said the earthquake was felt lightly in Panama City and Darién province, with no structural damage reported.
Emergency crews continued surveying rural areas near the epicenter as geological authorities warned of possible aftershocks.
