A powerful earthquake rocked Colombia and neighbouring Latin American countries on Monday, with at least 21 people confirmed dead in first reports as shocked residents surveyed destroyed buildings.
Emergency teams rushed to help victims and search for survivors in the rubble after geologists recorded the quake at a magnitude of 7.4 with an epicentre 100 km deep in the west of the country.
The early-morning quake was also felt in Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela, itself hit by devastating twin quakes in late June, and prompted building evacuations in the Colombian capital Bogotá, reporters with the AFP news agency saw.
News footage showed collapsed buildings across western Colombia, though officials said they did not fear a tsunami.
At least 18 people were killed in the city of Pereira alone, Mayor Mauricio Salazar told Caracol Radio, adding "the situation is critical."
