Colombia rescuers search rubble after earthquake kills more than 100

More than 100 people have died after Colombia was hit by its strongest earthquake in decades, as the government declared a state of emergency.

Rescue workers were searching collapsed buildings for survivors on Monday as authorities warned that the death toll could rise further.

At least 111 people have been killed in the magnitude 7.4 earthquake, President Abelardo de la Espriella said during a crisis meeting on Monday afternoon. Many people were believed to be trapped under the rubble.

“The first priority is rescuing people buried under the rubble,” de la Espriella said, adding that the government was mobilizing all available resources.

The official number of injured was also expected to rise sharply. De la Espriella initially put the figure at 87, but Valle del Cauca Governor Dilian Franco told Blu Radio that more than 550 people had been injured in her region alone. In Chocó, Governor Nubia Córdoba-Curi reported 119 injuries.

Numerous buildings collapse

The powerful quake struck at around 7:34 am (1234 GMT) on Monday, with its epicentre near the town of San José del Palmar in western Colombia, the Colombian Geological Service (SGC) said. It struck at a depth of around 103 kilometres and was followed by numerous aftershocks.

More than 1,500 homes were severely damaged in several cities, including Pereira, Cali and Manizales, while around 60 buildings collapsed entirely, de la Espriella said.

Around 55 people were killed in Pereira alone, according to Mayor Mauricio Salazar. Eighteen buildings collapsed in the city and another 60 were damaged.

The full extent of the disaster remained unclear.

Residents help search for survivors

In Cali, residents joined rescue workers searching the rubble for survivors.

“We have a four-storey building here that has completely collapsed. We have already managed to rescue three people alive,” a fire service official in the La Alameda neighbourhood told broadcaster Caracol.

Eighteen hospitals and 52 schools were also damaged, according to the president. Power supplies, telephone services and other communication links have been disrupted.

Six airports were closed to commercial traffic because of damage to infrastructure, de la Espriella said. The cathedral in Manizales was also severely damaged.

Cars swayed in the streets, windows rattled and people fled their homes in panic.

“At first I thought it was something minor. But when it kept getting stronger and didn’t stop, I thought we were going to die,” a woman from Manizales told broadcaster La FM.

“Part of the roof of my house collapsed and the walls are cracked,” Juan Bernal from the city of Armenia said.

Experts see no link to Venezuela earthquakes

The earthquake was also felt in Bogotá, Medellín, Popayán and Armenia, as well as the neighbouring countries of Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama.

The quake comes after twin earthquakes hit neighbouring Venezuela in late June, killing more than 6,000 people.

However, the Colombian Geological Service said there was no connection between the earthquakes. The Venezuelan quakes involved movement of the Caribbean Plate, while the Colombian earthquake was linked to the Nazca Plate off the country’s Pacific coast.

The strongest previous earthquake occurred off the coast between Ecuador and Colombia in 1958 and had a magnitude of 7.6. Fifteen people were killed, according to the Geological Service.

In 1999, more than 1,000 people were killed when a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Armenia and surrounding communities.