Nightquake devastates towns near the epicenter
A powerful earthquake struck western Colombia early Tuesday, killing more than 100 people and leaving dozens trapped in collapsed buildings. The 7.4-magnitude quake hit at around 2 a.m. local time, when most residents were asleep.
The epicenter was in a rural area near the Pacific coast, about 200 kilometers from the city of Cali. Rescue teams are working through the night to reach survivors in towns where homes made of brick and adobe crumbled.
"We heard a deep roar, then the ground began to move like a boat at sea," one survivor told local radio. "Within seconds, whole streets were gone."
Rescue efforts face landslides and aftershocks
More than 30 aftershocks have followed the main quake, and several have triggered landslides that block mountain roads. Heavy rain is also slowing rescue work. Officials say power lines and cell towers are down across a wide area.
Colombia's disaster agency says more than 1,200 people are injured and being treated in field hospitals. The Red Cross has sent search dogs and rescue specialists to the worst-hit towns.
President Gustavo Petro declared a state of emergency and asked the international community for help. The United States, Mexico, and Chile have already offered teams and equipment.
Seismologists say quake ranks among the region's strongest
The quake is one of the strongest to hit Colombia in decades. The country sits on the boundary of several tectonic plates, where the Nazca plate slides beneath the South American plate. Seismologists say pressure has built for years along this fault line.
In 1999, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake killed more than 1,000 people in the coffee-growing region of Armenia. Scientists warn that aftershocks could continue for weeks.
Officials have opened shelters in schools and community centers for families who lost their homes. The full scale of the damage is still unclear, and the death toll is expected to rise as teams reach isolated villages.