Colombia rescue efforts press on after deadly earthquake

Rescue efforts continued into a second day in western Colombia after a powerful earthquake struck the region. The magnitude 7.4 earthquake, which occurred at 07:34 local time, had its epicenter near the municipality of San José del Palmar in Chocó department, at a depth of over 80 kilometers, according to the Colombian Geological Service.

At least 132 people were killed and 570 injured, although authorities warned that the death toll is likely to rise as rescue work continues. The city of Pereira and its metropolitan area account for most of the dead, with other fatalities reported in Valle del Cauca and Antioquia. According to the Colombian Association of Capital Cities, more than 1,500 homes were damaged, with 37 destroyed and 61 buildings completely collapsed.

The government has declared a state of emergency, and rescue teams are working to dig through collapsed buildings and flattened homes. The earthquake was felt across a wide area, stretching for hundreds of miles across western Colombia, and was followed by several aftershocks.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, MercoPress, IOL, Capital FM Kenya, Hindustan Times - World News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.