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At least 132 people have died and 570 others have been injured after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia earlier on Monday, CNN reported, citing the Colombian Association of Capital Cities.
The association, which participated in a disaster response meeting with the president, said the city of Pereira alone has reported 60 deaths. According to the association, five capital cities across the country are under a red alert. It added that 86 buildings have collapsed and operations at seven airports have been suspended, CNN reported. Pereira, a city of around 500,000 people, lies less than 64 km from the epicentre, according to The New York Times. Tremors were felt in several cities across Colombia, including the capital Bogota, where alarms sounded and people in several buildings evacuated to the streets as a precaution. Earlier, President Abelardo de la Espriella said that 1,577 residential buildings had been damaged, while 37 others were completely destroyed. He added that more than 60 buildings had collapsed, along with damage to 18 health centres and 52 schools, The New York Times reported. The department of Risaralda in western-central Colombia has emerged as the worst-hit area, Risaralda Governor Juan Diego Patino told radio station BluRadio, CNN reported. In a statement, de la Espriella said he had convened an emergency committee to address the damage and pledged that the government "will do whatever is necessary" to protect those affected. He added that he would "personally lead efforts" to steer the country through the aftermath of the quake. Earlier in the day, the US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the quake at around 7:34 am local time with an epicentre near San Jose del Palmar in Colombia's Choco area, around 280 kilometres west of Bogota, at a depth of 107 kilometres, CNN reported. According to CNN, the governor of Colombia's northwestern area of Choco, Nubia Carolina Cordoba Curi, confirmed that in the regional capital, Quibdo, "there are injured people and severe damage to buildings" and expressed concern about possible aftershocks. Meanwhile, Bogota Mayor Carlos F Galan announced on X that six collection points for donations are being set up, seeking essential supplies including drinking water, blankets, non-perishable food, hygiene products and first-aid materials for affected communities. "In Bogota, we have set up 6 collection points to receive donations for the cities most affected by the earthquake. Needed: drinking water, blankets, quilts, mats, non-perishable food, personal hygiene items, and first aid supplies. Please, if you can donate, do so," he wrote on X. He further added, "So far, no serious impacts have been reported in Bogota. On the other hand, everything has already been coordinated with the National Government so that 100 rescuers from Bogota can travel to the most affected cities and support search and rescue operations. We are ready to continue helping so that the response is as swift as possible. We are all in this together." (ANI)
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