A 7.4-magnitude earthquake shakes Colombia and Ecuador, prompting people to evacuate buildings

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, shaking the South American nation and neighboring Ecuador and prompting people to evacuate homes and buildings.

The epicenter was in San Jose Del Palmar, a municipality in the Choco region about 250 miles (400 kilometers) west of Colombia’s capital, Bogota, the U.S. Geological Survey and Colombia’s counterpart reported. The USGS said it struck at a depth of 66 miles (107 kilometers).

Choco Gov. Nubia Córdoba said on social media that in the regional capital, “there are injuries and serious damage to buildings,” without providing further details.

The temblor follows two back-to-back 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes in Venezuela in late June. Those earthquakes destroyed hundreds of buildings and killed more than 5,000 people.