PEREIRA, Colombia, Aug. 10 (World Daily Times) — A magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on Aug. 10, killing at least 111 people and injuring 87, according to President Abelardo de la Espriella and local officials. The president declared a national disaster as rescue crews searched collapsed buildings and officials assessed damage.
The earthquake struck at 7:34 a.m. local time, according to Colombia’s Geological Service. Its epicenter was near San José del Palmar in Chocó province, in western Colombia. The shaking was felt across the country and in neighboring Ecuador, Venezuela and Panama.
What happened after the earthquake?
Buildings collapsed in several cities, including Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Buenaventura. People were reported trapped under rubble in some locations.
Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder said rescue teams were working at least 12 critical sites and responding to as many as 25 collapsed structures. He said two people — an elderly woman and a young girl — had been rescued alive and that others remained trapped at the time of his statement.
Local officials reported deaths in several departments. Early figures included 18 deaths in Pereira, two or three in Manizales and at least one in Buenaventura. Later regional figures reported 40 deaths in Risaralda and 27 in Valle del Cauca. Those numbers were reported at different points during the response and were not fully reconciled in the available updates.
The country’s aviation authority also reported damage at several regional airports. Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management and the U.S. tsunami warning system said the earthquake did not create a tsunami threat.
Why do the earthquake’s depth and death toll vary by report?
The Geological Service and the U.S. Geological Survey gave slightly different estimates for the earthquake’s depth. Reports placed it at about 103 to 107 kilometers, while one early report cited 96 kilometers.
That type of difference can occur because seismic agencies use different instruments, data and calculation methods. The depth estimate can be revised as more readings are analyzed. The figures do not change the fact that the earthquake was recorded as magnitude 7.4 by the agencies cited in the reports.
The death toll also rose as rescuers reached damaged areas and local governments added new reports. Officials first reported at least 20 deaths, followed by updates of 47 and 73. The latest reported figure was at least 111 deaths, but the available information did not include a complete casualty list or a final building-by-building damage assessment.
What are aftershocks?
Colombia’s Geological Service reported aftershocks measuring magnitude 2.8 and 4.8. Aftershocks are earthquakes that follow a larger earthquake in the same general area. They can cause additional damage to buildings already weakened by the main shock and can make rescue work more dangerous.
The mayor of Manizales urged residents to remain outside because of concerns about further shaking. The available reports did not provide a confirmed number of people who were still trapped.
What does the magnitude tell us?
Magnitude describes the size of an earthquake at its source. It is different from the amount of damage in a particular city. Damage can also depend on an earthquake’s depth, distance from populated areas, local ground conditions, construction quality and the strength of buildings.
The available information identifies the earthquake’s size, location and timing, but it does not establish why any individual building collapsed. No engineering assessment of the failed structures was included in the reported updates. It is therefore not possible from these records alone to determine whether construction standards, design, soil conditions or other factors caused particular collapses.
This event was documented through measurements from seismic agencies and statements from government officials. The supplied records do not describe a peer-reviewed scientific study or a completed academic analysis of the earthquake’s effects. Further assessments would be needed to determine the full scale of the damage and the causes of individual building failures.
