Colombia on Monday witnessed one of the most devastating earthquakes in recent years, with a magnitude of 7.4, leaving at least 111 people dead after they were trapped inside the debris of the collapsed buildings.

The epicentre of the quake was in San Jose Del Palmar in the Choco region, which is about 400 km away from the capital, Bogota. The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake struck at a depth of 107 kilometres. The earthquake was so strong that tremors were felt across the borders to Ecuador, Venezuela and Panama, though minimal damage was reported there.

Terrifying videos of the earthquake and the collapsing buildings have gone viral on social media, narrating the ordeal faced by the people.

A video from Pereira city captured a moment when a three-storey building collapsed. People nearby can be seen running for their lives.

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Another video of similar chaos showed Cathedral Basílica Metropolitana Nuestra Señora del Rosario collapsing. It is a historic neo-Gothic cathedral in the city of Manizales. It suffered damage on the side/ lateral tower. The video shows the tower collapsing onto the nave. A major crack also surfaced on its facade.

One of the hundreds of videos going viral shows chilling visuals from a high-footfall public place where a building collapse leaves a dust storm billowing and debris flying away as people get a narrow escape. 

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Search and rescue operations begin

The search and rescue operations have been launched at war-footing as dozens of people remain trapped under the debris. Colombian president Abelardo de la Espriella said in a post on X that he will personally supervise recovery efforts and install an emergency centre in San Jose del Palmar.

According to local officials cited by AP news, at least 40 people were killed in the Risaralda region, where the hard-hit city of Pereira is located. It was followed by at least 27 deaths in the Valle del Cauca region, where Colombia’s third-biggest city, Cali, is located.

At least three of those killed in Valle del Cauca were children. Nine people were killed in Choco, while two others were killed in the Caldas region and one 73-year-old in the Antioquia region.

Interior Minister of Colombia said that over 20 municipalities across the country had been hit in the quake.


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