[Anchor]
A magnitude 7.4 strong earthquake hit western Colombia, leaving an estimated 132 people dead. The damage was severe, with buildings collapsing or sustaining heavy damage as if they had been struck by bombing.
Reporter Kim Minpyo has the details.
[Reporter]
A four-story building shakes and collapses completely, sending clouds of dust everywhere.
Terrified residents scream and evacuate in a hurry.
[Airport Passenger : Oh my god….]
As ceiling materials fell at the airport, passengers took cover under tables.
The magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on the morning of the 10th local time, killing 132 people and leaving nearly 500 injured.
The earthquake occurred in San Jose del Palmar, Choco Province, on the Pacific coast, but damage has been reported consecutively in areas further east, such as Pereira, Cali, and Manizales.
Around 100 houses have collapsed.
[Sandra / Cali Resident : The shaking from the earthquake was very strong. It felt like it would never end, and I thank God.]
Colombia's aviation authorities stated that reports of earthquake damage were received from seven airports, including Pereira.
President Espriella, who took office just three days ago, declared a national state of emergency and launched search and rescue operations.
[Abelardo de la Espriella / President of Colombia : I have ordered the suspension of all scheduled events in the capital to focus on the natural disaster that has struck our Colombian citizens suffering today.]
The Colombian Geological Survey stated that this earthquake was the most powerful to hit Colombia in the past 10 years.
Most of the approximately 800 South Korean expatriates live in Bogota, which is 230 km away from the epicenter, so no damage has been reported yet, though they reportedly felt strong tremors.
(Video Editing : Sunghoon)
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