Emergency teams are still assessing the impact of the quake that was felt across the region.

At least 69 people were killed and dozens of buildings collapsed in cities across western Colombia on Monday after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the South American nation.

The quake trapped residents under debris, leaving more injured and forcing people to evacuate their homes as far as the capital of Bogota.

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The earthquake occurred on Monday near the municipality of San Jose del Palmar in Colombia’s Choco region, about 400km (250 miles) west of the capital, Bogota, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and Colombia’s geological service. Colombia had initially put its magnitude at 6.6 on the Richter scale.

The USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of about 107km (66 miles). The US tsunami warning system said there was no tsunami warning.

“We have just experienced a major earthquake in the department of Choco. We are concerned about aftershocks,” Choco Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi said on X. “Although the epicentre was near San Jose del Palmar, there are injuries and significant damage to buildings in the capital, Quibdo. We are already carrying out a damage assessment and will issue the first official report shortly.”

Authorities in Colombia and Ecuador urged residents in affected areas to remain alert as emergency teams assessed the quake’s impact.

In the capital, Bogota, the earthquake triggered car and building alarms as people fled into the street.

Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan said on social media shortly after the earthquake that there were no reports of injuries, and only some cracks in buildings.

“No serious structural damage has been reported in Bogota, so our resources are at the service of the country,” Galan wrote. “We stand in solidarity with the affected cities. We will continue to address this emergency and provide assistance as needed.”

News outlets aired footage of buildings also destroyed in cities such as Pereira and Manizales in a tourist region called Eje Cafetero.

In Medellin, the earthquake prompted evacuation sirens from apartment buildings, with people fleeing their homes wearing pyjamas or, simply, a wrapped-around towel. No full collapses were reported in the city, nor casualties. Medellin’s Mayor Federico Gutierrez suspended the normal operation of the city’s metro, citing necessary checks for infrastructural damage.

Small towns on the outskirts of Medellin report structural damage including caved-in roofs and fractured walls.

In Cali, which is southwest of Bogota, at least 25 buildings collapsed.

Local officials confirmed that at least 18 people had been killed in the city of Pereira, two in the city of Manizales, and 27 people in the Valle de Cauca, where Cali is located.

The quake comes weeks after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela in late June, killing more than 6,000 people and destroying hundreds of buildings. The tremors, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, were among the deadliest earthquakes to hit the region in recent years.