A huge earthquake has struck Colombia, burying people across the country beneath collapsed buildings. 

Colombia's geological service said the magnitude of the quake, which struck at 7.30am local time (1.30pm UK time), was 7.4 and that its depth was 60 miles. 

It reported the epicentre as being in San Jose Del Palmar, a community about 250 miles west of Colombia's capital, Bogota, adding that this was the strongest quake the country has suffered in the last decade. 

At least 77 people have been killed and Colombia has declared a state of emergency following the quake.

Harrowing footage taken from across the country showed the façades of buildings crumbling and people huddling in the street, unable to stand up straight as the ground beneath them rocked violently. 

In one particularly shocking video, a church's spire was seen falling off and crumbling into rubble in front of a terrified crowd of onlookers. 

Families were held back from the scene by local police as a cloud of dust filled the air.  

The quake was felt as far away as Ecuador, Panama to the north, and Venezuela – which was struck by a pair of devastating tremors just a few months ago – and prompted building evacuations in Bogota. 

Eighteen people in the city of Pereira died following the earthquakes, while in Manizales, west of Bogota, at least two people were killed. More than 30 buildings have also collapsed in Manizales, including the city's cathedral. 

In Cali, a city of 2.3million people in Colombia's west, at least 20 buildings collapsed following the earthquake. 

Hospitals in Cali were forced to evacuate their patients. Rows of elderly people on hospital beds were seen outside. 

In Choco, residents were seen running for their lives as entire buildings collapsed around them. 

As two men were seen picking up a woman who had fallen, a man was screaming: 'Oh my God!'

President Abelardo de la Espriella announced the establishment of an emergency centre at the epicentre to support those affected, adding: 'You are not alone. You have a President who cares deeply for his people and who will do everything necessary to protect you, support you, and move forward together in rebuilding the affected regions.'

Choco governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi said on X: 'We have just experienced a major earthquake in the department of Choco. We are concerned about aftershocks. 

'Although the epicentre was near San Jose del Palmar, there are injuries and significant damage to buildings in the capital, Quibdo. We are already carrying out a damage assessment and will issue the first official report shortly.'

The governor of neighbouring Risaralda province, Juan Diego Patino, told local Blu Radio there was 'serious damage to some buildings' in Pereira, the provincial capital.

'What has just occurred is very severe. The images are truly shocking, with people injured and building facades collapsed,' he said.

Colombia's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management said it was in contact with local authorities to verify potential damage. 

Bogota's mayor, Carlos Galan, said on X there was no major damage in the capital.

In Cali, a large crowd of people were seen gathered around the wreckage of a collapsed building. 

They were seen frantically trying to pull pieces of rubble away to reach people trapped underneath.  

Reuters witnesses in the Venezuelan border state of Tachira and the central-western city of Barquisimeto reported the quake had been felt there. 

Schools and universities in the city have been suspended until further notice, while the mayor told citizens to return home and avoid travelling if possible. 

The mayor's office added: 'A temporary shelter has been set up at the Greater Coliseum for people who need a safe place. Those who require it can go to this space.'

Following the quake UAEAC, the country's aviation authority, said flights from six airports had been suspended. 

UAEAC said damage was reported at the airports of Pereira, Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura. 

'There is no electricity or cell phone coverage. It was strong, really strong. Things fell in my house,' Martha Estrada, a 66-year-old resident of the Eje Cafetero region told AFP.  

Jorge Moncayo, a 64-year-old taxi driver in Cali, said he saw plumes of dust shoot up across the city from him home in the mountains as buildings collapsed after the earthquake. 

'My entire house shook,' he said. 'I've never lived through such a powerful earthquake.'

Following the earthquake, Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar wrote on X: 'We are following with concern the news about the earthquake that has struck Colombia. I have offered my counterpart, Colombia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Omar Bula, all the assistance that Israel can provide. 

'Israel is prepared to help Colombia in whatever is needed. My thoughts and prayers are with the Colombian people in these difficult times.'

Venezuela was hit by devastating twin earthquakes in June, which killed more than 6,000 people, mostly on the coast near the capital, Caracas.

Earthquakes are common in Colombia due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a tectonic belt where the Earth's plates meet. 

About 90 per cent of the world's largest earthquakes occur within the belt.  

The southeastern and easternmost areas of Colombia are not as seismically active as the rest of the country.

Colombia's most devastating earthquake happened in August 1868, off the coast of Ecuador, and killed about 70,000 people.