A strong tremour has wreaked havoc across Colombia, with the earthquake felt near the Venezuelan border.
Alarms blasted warnings in the capital Bogota today after the 7.4 magnitude quake, which has since been revised to 6.4 magnitudes.
Dramatic footage shows people running for their lives as an entire building collapsed in front of their eyes.
The earthquake struck in the Choco province on the country’s Pacific coast, with the epicentre located at a depth of 79km near San Jose del Palmar.
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Several people are believed to have been trapped underneath huge concrete blocks in Quibdo, the worst affected area.
She wrote on X: ‘We have just experienced a severe seismic event in the department of Chocó. We are concerned about aftershocks. Although the epicenter was in San José del Palmar, in the capital Quibdó there are injuries and severe damage to buildings. We are already conducting the damage assessment to issue the first official report.’
Families in Bogota fled their homes in the middle of breakfast and getting ready for school and work.
Damage to buildings was reported in Manizales, and evacuations in the coastal city of Medellin.
The famous Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Rosary in Manizales is said to have been damaged and may be at risk of collapse.
Tremours were also felt across the border in Ecuador’s capital Quito.
It comes less than two months after the deadly earthquake’s devastated the already embattled Venezuela on June 24.
People were trapped under ruble, some for days as rescuers battled to get to them.
As of August, more than 6,100 people have been confirmed dead from the quakes, while tens of thousands are still missing and people remain in hospital.
Why is Central America vulnerable to earthquakes?
The Central and South American region where both Colombia and Venezuela are located is phone to powerful earthquakes.
They sit near the boundary of several tectonic plates, making it a lively zone for seismic activity that can hit suddenly.
Colombia is phone to the natural disaster due to its location on the meeting point of three tectonic plates, the Nazca, the Caribbean Plate and the South American Plate.
Earthquakes above 6 on the Richter scale are considered strong, while anything around 7 is major.
Even strong, 6 Richter tremours can cause significant damage, especially in packed urban areas.
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