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Magnitude 7.4 earthquake hits Colombia, shaking capital Bogotá

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the Chocó region on Colombia's Pacific coast, causing damage and prompting evacuations.
  • The capital, Bogotá, and neighboring Ecuador felt the tremors, though Bogotá reported no initial damage.
  • The earthquake follows a series of strong quakes in Venezuela in June, which caused significant destruction and fatalities.

A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the Chocó region on Colombia's Pacific coast on Monday, causing damage and forcing residents to evacuate. The epicenter was located near San José del Palmar, approximately 400 kilometers west of the capital, Bogotá.

Núbia Córdoba, the governor of Chocó, described the earthquake as "serious," reporting significant damage to buildings and casualties in the regional capital, Quibdó. Specific details on the extent of the damage and the number of victims were not immediately available.

The tremors were felt as far away as Bogotá, where buildings shook. However, the mayor's office in Bogotá stated that there were no initial reports of damage in the capital. The earthquake also caused vibrations in neighboring Ecuador.

This seismic event follows a series of powerful earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, that hit Venezuela in late June. Those earlier earthquakes resulted in the destruction of hundreds of buildings and claimed the lives of over 5,000 people.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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