Colombia: Strong earthquake, 4 people injured

This morning September 10 (Vietnamese time), a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the Colombian Pacific coast, collapsing many houses and at least 4 people were injured. There has been no information about the dead.

The earthquake occurred at 8.49 pm local time (1:49 international time, 8:00 am Vietnamese time), the epicenter was 10 km below the sea, 472 km southwest of Bogota. No tsunami warning.

The tremors were felt in many western states of Colombia, including the cities of Cali and Popayan. Radio Caracol reported in the city of El Charco, near the earthquake center, 4 people were injured after about 20 houses near the coast collapsed or damaged. Earthquakes also cause power outages in at least 3 cities in the region.

'We can do a comprehensive survey in the worst-affected area, but the earthquake doesn't seem to be fatal or big,' said Carlos Sanchez, a seismologist at the Colombian Geological Institute. .

In January 1999, a magnitude 6 earthquake struck western Colombia, killing nearly 900 people and leaving 200,000 homeless.

T.VY