Bogotá, Colombia — At least 132 people have died and more than 570 were injured after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Colombia on Monday, according to a preliminary report from the Colombian Association of Capital Cities (Asocapitales).
Pereira, the capital of Risaralda, has reported the highest number of fatalities, with 60 deaths. The city borders San José del Palmar in Chocó, near the earthquake’s epicenter.
The Colombian Geological Service (SGC) said the earthquake struck at 7:34 a.m. local time at a depth of approximately 82 kilometers (50 miles).
In an earlier update, Eder said 188 people were still missing in the city, while 37 had been rescued.
Some 40 buildings have collapsed in the cultural hub of about 2 million people in Colombia’s southwest, a city internationally known for its salsa dancing.
Just a month ago, at least 164 people were killed and 971 injured after two powerful earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck Venezuela’s Caribbean coast on Wednesday. The quakes caused widespread devastation, collapsed buildings, and disrupted communications across the country.
According to the United States Tsunami Warning Centers, the two earthquakes occurred just 39 seconds apart, initially described by seismologists as a “seismic doublet”—a rare event in which two major earthquakes strike the same region within seconds. Authorities later clarified, following further seismic analysis, that the initial 7.2-magnitude tremor was a precursor to the 7.5-magnitude mainshock.
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