A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.1 shook an important part of Colombia on Thursdayleaving behind a trail of minor material damage and one fatality, according to official sources.
In Bogotá, the capital city, a woman tragically lost her life when panic seized her during the quake.
In a desperate attempt to escape, he threw himself from the tenth floor of a building in the Madelena neighborhood from the Colombian capital; the video, posted on social networks, shows the tragic moment. (Sensitive images, discretion is advised).
Mayor Claudia López conveyed that the city’s essential services and older buildings remained largely unscathed, providing some relief amid the chaos, EFE news agency reported.
Mayor López emphasized that “the only serious event reported was the throwing of a woman from a residential building in Madelena, apparently due to a nervous disorder.”
In addition, city authorities have received 88 reports of possible structural damage to various buildings, as reported by El País.
Although the tremor had limited structural repercussions, one case of damage occurred inside the Elliptical Hall of the Congress of the Republic. A decorative rose window fell from the vault, narrowly missing it, causing significant damage, as the seat below it was unoccupied during the incident.
Social networks images and videos circulated that show a visual change in the World Trade Center building, located in the northern area of Bogotá.
However, Diego Cordobés, manager of the World Trade Center, quickly allayed fears by stating that the building was not affected by the quake.
Cordobés clarified that “the extensions between towers B and C of the building that are showing on social networks are the result of construction expansion since the start of construction around 40 years ago.” He went on to explain the engineering behind the building’s design, making sure the tremor had no adverse impact.
The aftermath also revealed that 15 of Colombia’s 32 departments did not report effects from the earthquake, according to Olmedo López, Director of the National Unit for Risk Management (UNGRD), collects EFE.
Despite the damage caused in the town of El Calvario, the epicenter of the earthquake located in the department of Meta, where three houses were damaged, no more fatalities or injuries were reported.
With information from EFE, El País and the Colombian Geological Service
Keep reading:
GPS data could predict earthquakes
· 6.8 earthquake shakes the coast of El Salvador and is also registered in cities of Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua
· Alaska: tsunami alert activated after earthquake of magnitude 7.2 off the coast in the south of the state
