Earthquake Claims Lives in Several Colombian Regions

Four people, including three children, died as a result of a powerful earthquake in the department of Valle del Cauca in south-western Colombia, Governor Dilian Francisca Toro said on Monday.

“Three children in Calima Darien, one person in Zarzal, and many injured in Zarzal. And now I am at the university hospital. There is rubble,” Toro told broadcaster Caracol.

Five patients were trapped under the rubble of the university hospital, Toro said, adding that military personnel and firefighters were dispatched to the site to evacuate them.

Meanwhile, in the city of Pereira, at least 18 victims were reported dead as a result of the earthquake, according to Mayor Mauricio Salazar speaking to Radio Caracol.

The earthquake also caused two fatalities in the city of Manizales, western Colombia.

“At present, two people have died,” Mayor Jorge Rojas told Bluradio.

More than 10 buildings were completely destroyed, and more than 20 residential buildings were partially destroyed in the city of Manizales.

Two hospitals were damaged, as were several schools and churches.

Earlier, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said an earthquake of magnitude 6.8 struck Colombia.

European seismologists later raised the magnitude of the earthquake to 7.4, while US experts gave a similar assessment.