A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit Colombia on Sunday, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ). The tremors jolted the country’s capital, Bogota, shortly after 2pm UK time. The quake was reportedly shallow, at a depth of 10km (6.21 miles), which intensified its impact. No immediate casualties or large-scale damage have been reported, yet the natural event plunged the city into a state of panic.
The tremors from the earthquake caused one of Colombia’s gondola lift systems to be evacuated. TransMicable, located in the city of Bogota, provides a luxury transportation service and has capacity to carry some 7,000 people per hour. However, customers were ushered away from the attraction after the earthquake. Writing on their page on X, the company said at 8:17am local time (2:17pm BST): “Evacuation of TransMiCable begins due to a strong earthquake that occurred in Bogotá.”
According to reports from AFP, citing the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake struck 170 kilometres near the city of Bogota at 9:08 local time.
Sirens blared around the capital causing locals to evacuate their homes, local media says, as residents flocked to the streets to seek safety from the shaking buildings.
Videos on social media show street lights shaking and infrastructure cracking as the tremors continued.
One elderly lady in Bogota told the news agency, “This was very strong”, as she attempted to make her way down several flights of stairs.
Seismic activity is not uncommon in Colombia due to its position along the Pacific Ring of Fire – this is an area known for its frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
An earthquake in 1999 with a magnitude of 6.2 claimed the lives of nearly 1,200 people in Colombia, as well as significant damage, particularly in Armenia and Pereira.
Aftershocks typically follow earthquakes which are smaller versions in the same area. They are typically small adjustments along the line which slipped and caused the initial earthquake.
These can occur for days or weeks after the initial quake, which can sometimes be of equal or larger magnitude, causing further damage to the region.