Bogota, August 10: A 7.4 magnitude earthquake rocked western Colombia on Monday, killing over 100 people and causing widespread damage, with buildings collapsing and residents trapped in several cities. The tremor was felt across the country, including in the capital Bogota, as well as in neighbouring Venezuela and Ecuador.
As per the USGC, the quake occurred as the result of primarily strike-slip faulting at a depth of approximately 110 km. Focal mechanism solutions for the event indicate rupture occurred on either a steeply-dipping oblique reverse and left-lateral strike-slip fault, or a moderately-dipping largely right-lateral strike-slip fault. Approximately 10.5 million people experienced Strong to Very Strong shaking, it further noted.
Risaralda province reported the highest number of deaths, with 42 fatalities, according to Governor Juan Diego Patino. In Pereira, several buildings suffered major damage, while three people were killed in Manizales and one person died in Buenaventura after a building collapsed. In Cali, more than two dozen structures collapsed, with several people still feared trapped under the rubble, Reuters reported. The earthquake also disrupted air travel, with flights suspended in affected areas.
