A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck the town of Chaparral in Colombia's Tolima department in the early hours of Tuesday, November 3, injuring at least one person and damaging buildings, authorities said. The tremor was felt across a large area of central and western Colombia, including the capital Bogotá and the cities of Medellín and Cali.
Source: Reuters
The Colombian Geological Service said the quake struck at a depth of about 19 km (12 miles) at Chaparral. Local reporting put the time at 4:13 a.m. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) first estimated the earthquake at magnitude 5.8 before revising its estimate down to 5.4, and the US Geological Survey also recorded the event in the same area of Tolima — the different figures are the agencies' own measurements of the same quake.
Source: Reuters
Colombia's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) said one person was injured by a falling wall at a home in Chaparral, and part of a church structure collapsed in a nearby area without causing injuries. Video posted on social media showed residents rushing out onto the streets in Tolima as the shaking was felt.
Source: Reuters
In Bogotá, more than 150 km from the epicentre, evacuations were reported in some residential complexes, the UNGRD added. The shaking was also felt in Ibagué, the capital of Tolima, as well as in Medellín and Cali, and thousands of residents left their homes in several cities, according to local reporting.
Source: Mogaz News
Several aftershocks followed, with magnitudes of up to 3.5 recorded by the geological authority; a second tremor of magnitude 3.3 was registered at 4:16 a.m., three minutes after the main quake. No deaths had been reported, and authorities had not reported major structural damage as assessments continued on Tuesday.
Source: Reuters
A country that shakes every day
Colombia faces high seismic risk and records around 2,500 earthquakes a month, though most are not felt. Tuesday's quake came just months after the country was hit in August by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake — one of the most devastating natural disasters in its history — which left 335 people dead and more than 4,500 injured, a reminder of how quickly a strong tremor in the Andes can turn deadly.
Colombian disaster experts quoted in local reporting urge families to keep an emergency plan, know the safe places inside the home and the evacuation routes and meeting points outside it, stay calm, and avoid clogging emergency lines after a tremor.
What happens next: the Colombian Geological Service is continuing to monitor aftershocks around Chaparral, and the UNGRD is expected to update its damage assessment as local officials inspect homes, churches and public buildings across Tolima. Awaaz Punjab will update this story if the injury or damage toll changes.