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A powerful earthquake struck Colombia on Monday, shaking major cities including Bogota and Cali, prompting evacuations and leaving injuries and building damage reported in the country's west.
Colombia's geological service measured the earthquake at magnitude 6.6, while the United States Geological Survey, commonly known as the USGS, put its strength significantly higher at magnitude 7.4.
According to the USGS estimate, the earthquake originated around 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, below the surface in western Colombia, from where its tremors spread across a wide area.
The shaking was not limited to Colombia, as the earthquake was also felt in Ecuador, including Quito, and as far north as Panama.
In the Colombian capital, Bogota, buildings were evacuated after the earthquake struck, while emergency sirens rang out across parts of the city.
AFP reporters in Bogota saw residents running out into the streets, with some still wearing their pajamas as they moved away from buildings following the strong shaking.
The governor of Colombia's western Choco province said there were injuries as well as serious damage to buildings in Quibdo, the department's capital.
Authorities in Cali, Colombia's third-largest city, also reported "major damage," adding to concerns about the impact of the earthquake across the country's west.
Television footage aired by news organizations showed several affected buildings with sections of their facades ripped away as the scale of the structural damage began to emerge.
Although injuries and damage have been reported in several locations, authorities have not yet provided a precise overall casualty or damage toll in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake.
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