Powerful earthquake shakes Colombia and Ecuador prompting people to evacuate

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia and neighboring Ecuador on Monday, causing widespread evacuations, according to reports from the U.S. Geological Survey and Colombia's counterpart agency. The epicenter of the quake was in San Jose Del Palmar, a municipality in the Choco region located about 250 miles west of Colombia's capital, Bogota.

The temblor hit at a depth of 66 miles. In the regional capital, Governor Nubia Córdoba of Choco reported injuries and significant damage to buildings on social media, though she did not provide further details. This earthquake follows two consecutive 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes in Venezuela earlier this month, which destroyed numerous buildings and resulted in over 5,000 fatalities.