Colombia earthquake kills over 70, President assumes emergency command

A powerful magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck central Colombia on Friday, causing extensive damage and at least 71 fatalities, officials said. The death toll includes 40 people in Risaralda, 27 in Valle del Cauca, nine in Chocó, three in Manizales and one in Antioquia. Pereira, the capital of Risaralda and home to about 500,000 residents, was hardest hit; its mayor, Mauricio Salazar, reported 18 deaths in the city.

The epicenter was located roughly 35 miles from Pereira, with Bogotá about 150 miles west and Medellín and Cali each about 100 miles away. In Cali, at least 20 buildings collapsed, trapping occupants, according to Mayor Alejandro Eder, who urged residents to evacuate any damaged structures.

Governor Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi of Chocó said significant building damage occurred in Quibdó, prompting the civilian aviation authority to suspend flights at that airport and at six others, including Cali, Pereira, Manizales, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura.

Newly inaugurated President Abelardo De La Espriella announced on social media that he had personally assumed leadership of the emergency response, assuring citizens that the state was present and taking action.

The Colombian Geological Survey confirmed the quake was the strongest recorded in the country in the past decade and noted two aftershocks of magnitudes 2.8 and 4.8.