The Colombian Geological Service (SGC) reported a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 that occurred on Monday, August 10, near San José del Palmar in the department of Chocó. The tremors were recorded in the morning at 7:34 local time, at a depth of 96 kilometers.
The earthquake was recorded at the coordinates 5.04° north latitude and -76.34° west longitude. The seismic event was registered by 32 seismological stations. The epicenter was located 20 kilometers from the municipality of San José del Palmar. According to SGC, the nearest populated areas to the epicenter are San José del Palmar (20 km), Río Iró (22 km), and Novita (32 km).
Consequences and official reaction
The strong earthquake was felt in many parts of the country. Social media reports mentioned the evacuation of people, particularly in Bogotá, the Eje Cafetero region, Tolima, Huila, Valle del Cauca, Manizales, and Medellín.
The governor of Chocó, Nubia Carolina Córdoba, posted a message on social media about the situation after the earthquake and noted that there were several injured in the department. She stated: “We have just experienced a serious seismic event in the department of Chocó. We are concerned about the aftershocks. Although the epicenter was in San José del Palmar, in the department’s capital, Quibdó, there are injured and seriously damaged buildings. We are already conducting a damage assessment to release the first official report.”
Currently, the available information is a preliminary manual report, so the seismological service may update the data later.
Source: El Tiempo
