A powerful earthquake, the strongest in a decade, struck Colombia, killing at least 132 people and injuring over 570 others. Rescue teams are working around the clock to search for survivors trapped under the rubble.

The quake, with a magnitude of 7.4, hit at 7:34 AM local time on August 10. According to the Colombian Geological Service, the epicenter was located at a depth of 103 kilometers in the Choco department, near the town of San Jose del Palmar. Tremors were felt across a large part of the country, as well as in Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama.

One of the hardest-hit cities was Pereira, where at least 40 people died and 65 buildings collapsed, with 15 of them possibly containing trapped residents. In Cali, residents pulled a baby from the debris of one of the 32 destroyed buildings.

In the capital, Bogota, the tremors caused trees and traffic lights to sway violently. Cracks appeared in some buildings, but no major damage to infrastructure was reported.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national state of emergency. More than 1,500 homes and several regional airports were damaged.

According to The Guardian, citing the Colombian Geological Service, this was one of the strongest earthquakes in the country in the last decade. Approximately 1.5 million people felt the tremors. Experts note that deep earthquakes are usually less dangerous than shallow ones, but they can still cause significant damage.

Earlier, Japanese authorities mobilized thousands of troops to deal with the aftermath of a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28. At least 13 people were killed and hundreds injured, with dozens more still missing.

Source: podrobno.uz