Death toll rises to 132 with hundreds injured in Colombia earthquake, authorities report

At least 132 people have died, and 570 have been injured as a result of the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck earlier Monday, according to the Colombian Association of Capital Cities, which earlier took part in an disaster response meeting with the president.

Rescue workers and residents stand on top of a collapsed building in Cali, Colombia following Monday’s 7.4 magnitude earthquake.

The city of Pereira has reported 60 deaths alone, the association said.

Five capital cities across the country are in a red alert, 86 buildings have collapsed and seven airports have suspended operations, the association added.

“The situation is critical,” Salazar told Caracol Radio after the quake centered in neighboring Choco province.

The Colombian geological service put the magnitude of the quake at 6.6 while its American counterpart USGS put it at 7.4, with an epicenter 100km (62 miles) underground in the west of Colombia.

The quake was felt in Ecuador and as far away as Panama to the north, and prompted building evacuations in Bogota, according to reports. Ecuador’s Geophysical Institute reported “moderate shaking” in Otavalo, Ibarra, Esmeraldas and Quito. “Mild shaking” was reported as far south as Guayaquil.

A resident of Manizales carries out debris from Monday’s earthquake.

President Daniel Noboa expressed support for Colombia and made rescue teams available at Bogotá’s request. “All our solidarity is with Colombia and with the families affected by this morning’s earthquake,” Noboa wrote on his X account, adding “Colombia, Ecuador is with you.”

The governor of Colombia’s Choco province wrote on X that there were injuries and serious damage to buildings in the department’s capital Quibdo.

The mayor of Cali, Colombia’s third largest city, also reported “major damage” as wells as injuries.

News outlets aired footage of some buildings with their facades ripped off by the quake. In Bogota some people ran out into the street in their pajamas as emergency sirens rang out, news reports say.

Twin earthquakes in Venezuela of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 on June 24 killed more than 6,000 people and caused devastating property damage.