Early-Morning Earthquake Damages Homes in Central Colombia, One Injured
Colombia's Geological Service measured the quake at magnitude 5.6. Officials reported damaged homes in Chaparral and a wall-collapse injury as assessments continued.
An early-morning earthquake damaged homes in central Colombia on Tuesday, leaving one person injured when a wall fell inside a house in Chaparral, Tolima, according to a preliminary emergency-management report.
Colombia's Geological Service measured the quake at magnitude 5.6 and said it struck at 4:13 a.m. local time near Chaparral. The shaking was felt in several regions, including Bogotá, where some residential buildings were evacuated.
Chaparral's mayor said several homes were damaged and one was destroyed. Two women were taken to a hospital, he told Noticias Caracol. One was discharged, while the other remained under observation for a possible fracture after a wall fell on her. The mayor said no deaths had been reported.
In Quimbaya, in the neighboring department of Quindío, part of a church's structure broke away. No injuries were reported there, according to Colombia's disaster-management agency, UNGRD.
The Geological Service recorded five aftershocks with magnitudes between 2.1 and 3.5 by 5:45 a.m. Tolima's governor moved classes online while school buildings were checked.
Authorities were still gathering reports from affected towns and assessing damage. The casualty and damage figures remained preliminary.