An earthquake in Colombia with a magnitude of 5.6 shook different regions of the country early this Tuesday morning and forced residents of Bogotá to leave their buildings. The movement was recorded at 04:13, local time, with its epicenter in Chaparral, a municipality in the department of Tolima, according to the Colombian Geological Service (SGC).
The first assessments place the damage in Tolima and Quindío. In Chaparral, the mayor, Helver González Mora, told Noticias Caracol of two injured women who were taken to the hospital. The municipal official also noted that there are damaged homes and some destroyed, without having any knowledge at that time of any fatalities.
Where the earthquake was and at what time it was felt
The epicenter was located in Chaparral, in south-central Colombia. The SGC placed the origin of the movement at a depth of less than 30 kilometers. The time of the tremor, 04:13 in Colombia, corresponds to 10:13 in the morning in mainland Spain.
The agency initially published a magnitude of 5.3 and later revised it to 5.6. This is an update of the same episode, not two different earthquakes.
In addition to Bogotá, the movement was felt in cities such as Cali and Pereira. The EFE wire also reports that the geological service recorded several aftershocks minutes after the initial tremor.
Two women injured in Chaparral and damage to a church in Quindío
The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) reported in its first assessment that one person had been injured by the collapse of a wall in a home in Chaparral. The mayor's report to Noticias Caracol places the number of injured women treated in a hospital at two.
These are assessments from different sources during the emergency evaluation. The figures should not be added together: the municipal report increases the number of injured people compared with the initial UNGRD statement.
In Quimbaya, in the department of Quindío, part of the structure of a church has detached. According to the information gathered by EFE, that incident did not cause any injuries.
Evacuations in Bogotá and virtual classes in Tolima
In Bogotá, the tremor caused evacuations in some residential complexes. Residents left their homes during the early morning, while the first checks were being carried out on the condition of the buildings.
The mayor of the capital, Carlos Fernando Galán, has reported that the initial review had not detected any damage or impacts in the city. The governor of Cundinamarca, Jorge Emilio Rey, has also ruled out major impacts in his department, according to the EFE bulletin.
The governor of Tolima, Adriana Magali Matiz, has activated the emergency protocols and has announced that classes will take place virtually throughout the department while the situation is assessed. The measure affects the territory where the earthquake’s epicenter is located.
The background of the August earthquake in Colombia
The new tremor comes almost three months after the August 10 earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.4 and its epicenter in San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó.
That movement caused serious damage in the west and south of the country. Cali and Pereira were among the most affected cities, with collapsed buildings and damaged structures, according to EFE. The consolidated tally in October published by the agency puts the consequences of that catastrophe at 335 deaths, 103 missing and 4,516 injured. Nearly half a million people were affected.