The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported this Monday the detection of an earthquake of magnitude 7.4 on the Richter scale, whose epicenter was located about five kilometers from the town of San José del Palmar, in the Colombian department of Chocó.
According to the preliminary report from the USGS, the tremor occurred around 7:34 a.m. (local time), five kilometers east of San José del Palmar, with a depth of 107 kilometers.
The seismic movement has been felt in several areas of the country and, although the authorities have not yet provided an official balance of victims, Colombian media have circulated on social networks recordings in which the collapse of buildings in Quibdó, Pereira, and Manizales can be seen.
"We have just experienced a serious seismic event in the department of Chocó. We are concerned about the aftershocks. Although the epicenter was San José del Palmar, in the capital Quibdó there are injuries and serious damage to buildings. We are already assessing the damage to issue the first official report," stated on social networks the governor of the department of Chocó, Nubia Córdoba.
The president of the Latin American country, Abelardo de la Espriella, has communicated that he has assumed "the leadership" after the earthquake. "I have ordered the installation of a Unified Command Post to coordinate the attention to the damages and the affected," he indicated.
The head of state has also requested from the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) a detailed report on the situation and the most immediate needs. "I will also be personally in Pereira to accompany those affected and verify the Government's response," he added.
For its part, the Colombian Maritime Authority has currently ruled out the existence of a tsunami risk on the coast, according to the UNGRD, which has explained that it maintains coordination with territorial authorities and with entities of the National Disaster Risk Management System to verify "possible impacts".