A powerful 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, bringing down buildings across several cities and killing at least 73 people. The quake’s epicenter was near San Jose del Palmar, in Choco, a sparsely populated province on Colombia’s Pacific coast.

Death Toll Rises

The highest reported death toll was in Pereira, a city in Colombia’s coffee-growing region, where Mayor Mauricio Salazar said 18 people had died. In nearby Manizales, Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas said three people were killed. One person died in Buenaventura, Colombia’s main Pacific port, when a building collapsed, trapping several people.

People remained trapped in Cali, one of Colombia’s largest cities, after more than two dozen structures collapsed, Mayor Alejandro Eder said. He added that the city had asked authorities in Bogota and Medellin to send disaster teams to support rescue efforts.

The U.S. tsunami warning system said there was no tsunami threat. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that the Trump Administration is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to support the people of Colombia.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.