Strong Earthquake Hits Colombia

Colombia's capital and other major cities were shaken on Thursday by a severe earthquake followed soon by a large aftershock, which terrified inhabitants and damaged the country's legislative building. According to reports, at least one person died.

The U.S. Geological Survey said that the aftershock registered a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 while the initial earthquake's preliminary magnitude was 6.3. Both of the noon quakes were located around 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Bogota. Later same evening, a magnitude 5.0 earthquake shook Colombia.

Many citizens of the 11 million-person capital metropolis fled their houses and congregated outside as they heard alarms blare and felt floors and buildings shake.

“Everything was moving, and people came out screaming, ‘It’s shaking, it’s shaking!’,” Bogota resident Gonzalo Martin said. “A lot of people started to rush out onto the street because of the tremor.”

Paula Henao, the Bogota fire department’s deputy director of operations, said one person died when they panicked and jumped from the seventh floor of a building.

The quake trapped some residents in elevators, and prompted scores of emergency calls to firefighters, Henao said.

According to a video shared on an official congressional account on X, formerly known as Twitter, a piece of elaborate masonry from the ceiling of Colombia's House of Representatives in Bogota fell into the legislators' dining area. At the time, nobody was inside the room, which was empty.

Other major cities, like Medelln and Cali, were also affected by the earthquake.

Social media videos of the earthquake showed chandeliers swaying and furniture trembling.