The death toll from a powerful earthquake in western Colombia has risen to 111, with 87 people injured and dozens more possibly trapped under rubble, according to infohub.kz.
The quake struck early Monday morning. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, it had a magnitude of 7.4 and struck at a depth of about 107 kilometers near San José del Palmar in the Chocó department on the country's Pacific coast.
The tremors were felt in major Colombian cities. Several towns reported collapsed and damaged buildings.
The highest number of casualties, according to preliminary data, was recorded in the western department of Risaralda, located in the country's coffee region. Serious destruction also occurred in Cali, one of Colombia's largest cities.
"The building completely collapsed. The sound was like a bomb exploding. It was terrible. We, the neighbors, are working together, forming human chains. We need heavy machinery. Many people are under the rubble," local resident Juan Carlos Osorio told Caracol Television.
Colombia has declared a state of emergency. President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a state of emergency and said authorities have mobilized all available resources to rescue people and assist affected regions.
"The priority is to rescue people trapped under the rubble," he said in an address to citizens.
The head of state said the government is sending humanitarian aid to the hardest-hit areas and coordinating rescue efforts.
The earthquake is the first major crisis for the new administration just days after de la Espriella's inauguration.
Colombia's Civil Aviation Authority temporarily suspended flights at airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura. Specialists are inspecting terminal buildings, runways, and other infrastructure for damage.
Search and rescue operations continue in several cities. Local residents are helping emergency services clear debris and search for people. Authorities do not rule out that the death toll could rise, as some residents may still be trapped under collapsed buildings.
Colombia is in a seismically active zone, where thousands of small tremors are regularly recorded. Seismologist Susan van der Lee of Northwestern University noted that the scale of destruction could be related to the high magnitude of the earthquake, tectonic plate movement, and soil conditions in the western regions of the country. According to her, despite the significant depth of the epicenter, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake was powerful enough to cause strong ground shaking.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that the death toll from earthquakes in Venezuela reached 6,124, with 60,992 people injured. The tremors of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 occurred on June 24, about 40 seconds apart, followed by more than 1,500 aftershocks. According to the World Bank, damage is estimated at about $19.6 billion, and the country may need up to $50 billion for reconstruction.