Dozens of people are dead after a powerful earthquake hits western Colombia, according to local officials
The magnitude-7.4 quake struck on Monday at 07:34 (12:34 GMT) in the Chocó region at a depth of 107km (66 miles), the US Geological Survey says
Shaking was felt across the country, as well as in neighbouring Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama
Buildings have collapsed and rescue efforts are under way to free those who have been trapped beneath rubble
It comes less than two months after twin quakes devastated parts of Venezuela, killing more than 6,100 people
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Shaimaa Khalil
North America correspondent
As pictures and videos begin to emerge from different parts of the affected region, we are getting a clearer sense of the extent of the destruction.
Footage from southern Cali, shows the remains of a three-story building that appears to have largely collapsed.
People can be seen carrying concrete slabs, as twisted metal and sections of the roof are piled across the site with emergency crews working through the debris, searching for people trapped beneath it and helping the injured.
Our local journalist in Cali says rescuers have just pulled a woman from the rubble alive. Crowds have gathered near the scene, while emergency workers continue to search what remains of the building.
Elsewhere, footage from Manizales shows an entire section of an apartment block collapsing, sending a thick cloud of dust into the street as people watch and scream. The city’s cathedral has also been badly damaged, with its clock tower left leaning heavily to one side.
Other footage shows people running between parked ambulances as parts of a hospital building’s façade fall around them.
Image source, UNGRDColombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella has arrived in Bogotá to lead the emergency response.
At this time, he is in the National Crisis Room of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) with his vice president, ministers and senior officials of the sector, reports BBC Mundo.
De la Espriella previously posted on social media that he would do "everything necessary" to protect and support affected regions.
"You are not alone," he wrote on X.
Vanessa Buschschlüter
Latin America and Caribbean editor
Colombia's Caracol Radio is keeping a tally of those who are known to have died in the quake.
Their latest figures are as follows:
Colombia's location - which sits at the intersection of several tectonic plates - makes it a prime location for strong seismic activity, and thus, strong earthquakes often happen.
Usually, the earthquakes are stronger along the subduction zones, which sit near the coast. Those quakes can also trigger smaller tsunamis, which can cause even further damage.
Since 1950, over 3,500 people have died as a direct result of earthquakes in Colombia. The most deadly of those was in 1999, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck Armenia, Calarca, Pereira, Caldas and Huila, killing 1,185 people.
Most recently, last year, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Cundinamarca. No one was killed.
Image source, Getty ImagesEcuador's president is pledging to mobilise rescue teams to help with Colombia's recovery mission.
"All our solidarity with Colombia and with the families affected by this morning's earthquake," Daniel Noboa Azin writes on X.
"We place our USAR team at your disposal: 47 rescuers, specialized dogs, and equipment with autonomy to operate for 7 days.
"We are ready to mobilize whenever you require."
Image source, EPA/ShutterstockNo serious structural damage has been reported in Colombia's capital, according to the city's mayor.
Carlos Fernando Galán, mayor of Bogotá, says the capital's capabilities are "at the service of the country" and the cities most affected by the earthquake.
In a statement on X, Galán says 100 rescuers are already prepared to head to CATAM - a military airport in Bogotá - and they will then proceed to the cities prioritised by Colombia's national government.
"We stand in solidarity with the affected cities," he adds.
There is no tsunami threat to Colombia's Pacific coast following the 7.4 magnitude earthquake, according to the country's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).
UNGRD attributes the update to the Colombian Maritime Authority in a statement on X.
Image source, ReutersThe United States government is "closely monitoring" the earthquake that has struck Colombia and "stands ready to support", according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
He advises US citizens in Colombia to register their presence online with the US State Department and follow official channels for the latest information.
We can bring you now some images from Colombia after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck.
Rescue efforts are underway, with many looking under rubble for anyone who could be trapped.
Image source, EPA/ShuttershockPeople being evacuated from a collapsed building after an earthquake in Cali, Colombia,
Image source, EPA/ShuttershockStudents evacuating from the Republica de Costa Rica school in La Chorrera, south-west of Panama City
Image source, EPA/ShuttershockPeople walking through the rubble, at least 20 buildings have sustained damage
Image source, XBy Richard Irvine-Brown, Kumar Malhotra and Emma Pengelly
Videos from the city of Cali, 200km (130 miles) to the south west of Manizales, have also shown the scale of damage the quake has brought.
One video, filmed from the high hills overlooking the city shows giant plumes of dust and debris thrown up across the west of the city.
Another shows the façade of an EPS Sanitas, a Colombian healthcare provider, collapsing onto ambulances along a crowded street.
Meanwhile, a third video shows five of the six storeys of a wing of the Valle Evaristo Garcia university hospital have collapsed.
All classes have been suspended in the schools and universities of Manizales, the capital of Colombia's Caldas region.
Located less than 100km (62 miles) from the epicentre of the quake, the mayor's office for Manizales urged schools and pupils to "stay tuned to official channels" to learn about new provisions.
The epicentre of the earthquake is in western Colombia.
It sits roughly halfway between the cities of Cali and Medellín.
But people across the country and the wider region have reported feeling the tremors.
Vanessa Buschschlüter
Latin America and Caribbean editor
The mayor of San José del Palmar, the village closest to the quake's epicentre, says it has been "completely cut off" as the main roads in and out have been damaged.
The mayor, León Fabio Marín Moncada, told Colombia's FM Radio that thankfully no lives had been lost and no one had been injured in San José.
However, at least five homes had been completely destroyed and many more were damaged, with their roofs caved in and their walls showing deep cracks.
He described the quake as being "very strong and very long-lasting" and asked for heavy machinery to be sent to clear the roads which had been blocked by debris.
Valle del Cauca Governor Dilian Francisca Toro reports that three children died in the municipality of Calima El Darién after a wall collapsed.
Another person died in Zarzal, according to Toro.
"The situation is serious," she noted while speaking from the Valle University Hospital.
The mayor of Buenaventura—located in the same department—reported at least one death and collapsed bridges.
The five deaths in Valle are in addition to the three reported by authorities in Manizales and the 18 in Pereira.
The Colombian Geological Service confirms that the earthquake is the strongest recorded in Colombia in the last decade.
"So far, two aftershocks have been recorded, with magnitudes of 2.8 and 4.8, the latter being widely felt," the service says in an update on X.
The earthquake, it says, was felt as far away as Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama.
The agency will provide "official and timely information as new data become available".
Image source, XBy Richard Irvine-Brown and Sherie Ryder
BBC Verify has authenticated two clips from the Colombian city of Manizales, showing the extent of destruction brought by the earthquake.
On the western side of the city, damage to buildings can be seen including the clocktower of the Cathedral Basilica now slumped at a dangerous angle.
Meanwhile, a video from the eastern side shows a five-storey building collapsing while people are evacuated from the city's Catholic University across the street.
Colombia's civil aviation authority, Aeronáutica Civil, says operations have been suspended at least seven airports in Colombia following the earthquake.
It says damage has been reported at Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura airports, and so operations have been suspended for safety reasons.
In addition, operations at Popayán Airport has been suspended due to the presence of ash from the Puracé volcano.
The agency says it will "continue to monitor the situation and will report any developments in a timely manner".
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has released a shake map of the 7.4 magnitude quake that struck western Colombia.
It shows that the epicentre occurred 107km (66 miles) deep in San Jose del Palmar, in the nation's Chocó region, with both "strong" to "very strong" shaking recorded across a much a wider area.
Image source, USGC
José Carlos Cueto
BBC Mundo correspondent, reporting from Colombia
Around 7:34 am (13:34 BST), the taxi I was traveling in through Bogotá started to shake.
The driver and I got out and went into the street, with the ground moving under our feet.
There were trembling trees, traffic lights and buildings.
People had gathered outside their houses and workplaces.
The quake seemed to last about two minutes.
In an early report, Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernand Galán says there are some cracks, but no major damage to infrastructure.
