IN BRIEFThe quake has thrust the country's new administration into its first major crisis.Memories are still fresh of devastating twin earthquakes in neighbouring Venezuela in June.Rescue efforts across western Colombia carried into a second day on Tuesday as emergency workers dug through collapsed buildings and flattened homes, amid expectations that the death toll from the country's most powerful earthquake in decades could rise.The 7.4-magnitude quake struck western Colombia late on Monday and triggered a frantic search for survivors in several cities."The national government is maintaining all its capacities deployed to protect lives, assist affected communities and deliver aid to every area that needs it," Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, appointed just three days ago, stated from Bogota.At least 132 people have been confirmed dead, according to the Colombian Association of Capital Cities, a group coordinating major cities across the country.The quake's epicentre was in Colombia's coastal Choco region at a depth of 100km. Authorities in the impoverished area reported 13 deaths.News that makes senseYour trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.The nearby city of Pereira was one of the worst-hit areas, with local authorities earlier announcing that at least 66 people had died.The quake crumpled a tower of a beloved cathedral in the city of Manizales.The quake ravaged cities across western Colombia, including Pereira, Quibdo, Cali and Manizales. Source: AFP / Giovanny Galvez"A great many buildings" in the city sustained damage, administrative worker Jaime Zuluaga, 50, said. "Traffic is paralysed and people don't want to go back to their homes for fear of an aftershock."'Missing people' trapped beneath the rubbleAt least 20 buildings crumbled in Colombia's third-largest city, Cali, trapping people beneath the debris, mayor Alejandro Eder said.Choco's governor warned of serious damage in the provincial capital Quibdo, where videos showed more buildings reduced to rubble."We are all devastated," Quibdo community leader Luis Gregorio Moreno told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency."At this moment there are reported deaths, dozens of wounded, but what there are most of are missing people," he said.Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela also felt the early-morning quake, which prompted building evacuations in the Colombian capital, Bogota.Still wearing their pyjamas, crowds of people rushed out into the street upon feeling the tremor, AFP reporters saw."The quake was very, very strong," said content creator Valeria Polo, 29, in the capital, where only minimal damage was recorded.Six small airports in western Colombia suspended operations, the civil aeronautics agency said, and the soccer governing body postponed upcoming football matches.The United States was "closely monitoring the large earthquake that struck Colombia and stands ready to support the people of Colombia," US secretary of state Marco Rubio said in a post on X.European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was "ready to provide more support" to the South American country."We have already mobilised Copernicus, our satellite service, to help with rescue operations," she wrote on social media.Mexico, Ecuador and France also offered assistance.Latin America is already reeling from two disastrous quakes that struck Venezuela in June, killing more than 6,000 people and causing widespread destruction.For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.