Powerful earthquake of 6.3 magnitude strikes near Colombian capital

A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Colombian capital city of Bogota on Thursday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. 

The powerful earthquake struck the country at around 12:04 p.m. local time. The epicenter occurred at a depth of 6 miles (10 kilometers) about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Bogota. Several parts of central Colombia were reported to have felt the tremor. 

"The drunka people are worried whether everything is shaking due to intoxication or if an earthquake has occurred."#earthquake #Bogotá #Colombia#deprem #SismosColombiaSGC #Bogotá. #sismo #temblor #terremoto #Colombia pic.twitter.com/X4SGeaQkzQ

— Chaudhary Parvez (@ChaudharyParvez) August 17, 2023

The earthquake was followed by another 5.6 magnitude earthquake and several aftershocks measured at 4.8 magnitude.

Earthquake alarms went off in the city of 11 million people, prompting residents to evacuate their homes or businesses and gather in the streets.

🇨🇴#COLOMBIA 🚨#URGENTE | Evacuaron los edificios de Bogotá tras el #sismo de magnitud 6.1. #RochexRB27 #earthquake #Terremoto #Temblor pic.twitter.com/lcpttx83Bw

— Rochex Rababel Robinson Bonilla (@RochexRB27) August 17, 2023

"It was strong, and lasted a long time, said Adrian Alarcon, 43, who works near the capital's busy Park 93 district. "All my coworkers stood up and we looked at each other like 'What do we do?'”

"It makes me feel fragile," he added. "Life changes in a second. You can't do anything, just run for your life."

Several buildings sustained damage from the earthquakes, such as shattered windows. Officials temporarily shut down the city’s transportation infrastructure and ordered evacuations to check for damage. 

Strong tremor was felt in #Colombia of magnitude 6.3 with an #aftershock of 5.6, the epicenter was in El Calvario, Meta.#earthquake #Bogotá #Colombia#deprem #SismosColombiaSGC #Bogotá. #sismo #temblor #terremoto #Colombia pic.twitter.com/nn02rwu9i0

— Chaudhary Parvez (@ChaudharyParvez) August 17, 2023

Colombia’s civil defense agency said that people had been evacuated from buildings in the entire municipality of Calvario, southeast of the capital.   

In the nearby town of Villavicencio, local media reported that the earthquake had caused a landslide. 

So far, no casualties have been reported. However, authorities said it could take hours to conduct a comprehensive assessment of any injuries or damage caused by the quake. 

Colombians are being warned that aftershocks are likely to happen over the coming days.