Dozens of people were killed after a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake rocked western Colombia early on Monday, Aug. 10.
The earthquake brought down buildings across several cities in the country and left people trapped in the rubble, local authorities said, according to Reuters.
The epicenter of the devastating earthquake was near San Jose del Palmar, in Choco, a sparsely populated province on Colombia's Pacific Coast. Choco Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi said there were injuries and significant damage in Quibdo, the provincial capital, and warned residents about potential aftershocks.
Colombia’s disaster agency said the shake, which happened at around 7:30 a.m. local time, was felt in nine departments and all 32 departmental capitals. The
country’s geological service measured the magnitude at 7.4 and said it struck at a depth of 60 miles.
Venezuela struck by two earthquakes in June
The Aug. 10 earthquake in Colombia comes more than a month after a pair of devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela in late June, causing more than 5,000 deaths and leaving more than 16,000 people injured.
The two earthquakes hit less than a minute apart on June 24 just after 6 p.m. local time. The quakes had magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, and were centered about 14 miles southeast of Yumare, Venezuela, some 173 miles west of the capital of Caracas. The quakes sent buildings tumbling, damaged infrastructure and left nearly 18,000 displaced from their homes.
USA TODAY’s Jeanine Santucci and Reuters contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video shows moment magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes Colombia
