7.4-Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Colombia, Church Collapses As Tremors Trigger Panic | Video

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, sending tremors across the country and neighbouring Ecuador and prompting people to evacuate homes and buildings.

A video capturing the impact of the earthquake showed a church structure collapsing amid violent tremors. In the footage, people can be seen clinging to one another as the ground shakes. After the tremors briefly appeared to subside, another strong jolt struck the area, causing the church structure in the background to collapse.

Large chunks of the building came crashing down, sending rubble onto the ground as a thick cloud of dust spread through the area. The footage showed people continuing to hold onto each other as the violent shaking persisted.

The epicentre of the earthquake was reported in San Jose Del Palmar, a municipality in Colombia’s Choco region located around 250 miles (400 kilometres) west of the capital Bogota, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS) and Colombia’s counterpart.

The USGS said the earthquake occurred at a depth of 66 miles (107 kilometres).

Choco Governor Nubia Cordoba said on social media that there were “injuries and serious damage to buildings” in the regional capital. She did not immediately provide further details about the extent of the damage or casualties.

The earthquake also prompted residents in affected areas to flee buildings as the tremors were felt across parts of Colombia and Ecuador.

The latest earthquake comes weeks after Venezuela was struck by two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude in late June. Those earthquakes reportedly destroyed hundreds of buildings and killed more than 5,000 people.

(With Inputs From PTI)