Earthquake Strikes Central Colombia, Causing Damage and Casualties

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake hit central Colombia, resulting in damages and casualties. One person was killed and multiple houses were damaged by the quake. The tremor was strongly felt in the capital, Bogota, where Mayor Claudia Lopez confirmed that the city largely escaped significant harm. Unfortunately, a woman lost her life by jumping from a 10th-floor apartment in Ciudad Bolivar out of fear of building collapse.

Lopez urged residents to remain calm, recommending checks for structural damage before reoccupying homes or workplaces. Seven individuals were trapped in an elevator in Bogota, while some traffic lights were knocked down, and a section of the Congress of the Republic’s Elliptical Hall’s dome collapsed. In the Meta department, which was the epicenter of the quake, several homes were destroyed.

Additionally, landslides and house damages were reported in the Cundinamarca department.