Powerful Earthquake Hits Western Colombia, at Least Two Killed

BOGOTA, Aug. 10: At least two people were killed after a powerful earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, damaging buildings and leaving people trapped under rubble, authorities said.

Two people were killed in the town of Manizales, Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas told Blu Radio.

Alejandro Eder, mayor of Cali, one of Colombia's largest cities, said preliminary reports indicated that at least 20 structures had collapsed and that people were trapped in the rubble.

Cali had requested disaster response teams from Bogota and Medellin to assist with rescue operations, Eder said.

The epicentre of the earthquake was near San Jose del Palmar in Choco, a sparsely populated province on Colombia's Pacific coast.

Choco Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba said there had been injuries and significant damage in Quibdo, the provincial capital. She warned residents to remain alert for possible aftershocks.

In neighbouring Risaralda province, Governor Juan Diego Patino said Pereira, a major city in Colombia's coffee-growing region, had also suffered serious damage to some buildings.

Colombia's civil aviation authority said flights were suspended at airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura while inspectors assessed possible structural damage.

Rescue teams were being deployed to affected areas to search for people trapped under debris and assess the extent of the damage.