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A strong magnitude 7.4 earthquake has struck western Colombia. So far, the death toll has been tallied at 111.

For our first piece of news today (the 11th), here is reporter Ha Jeongyeon.

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Buildings collapse amid a loud roar, and people hastily evacuate through a storm of dust.

At around 7:30 a.m. local time on the 10th, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella stated that at least 111 people have died, with 42 fatalities reported in Risaralda Province alone, including its capital, Pereira.

[Abelardo de la Espriella / President of Colombia : I have ordered the suspension of all scheduled events in the capital in order to focus on the natural disaster that has struck our suffering Colombian people today.]

The earthquake reportedly occurred near San Jose del Palmar in the Pacific coastal department of Choco, and strong shaking was reportedly felt not only in the capital, Bogota, but also in areas bordering Venezuela, as well as Ecuador and Panama.

[Javier Tinoco / Resident of Bogota, Colombia : The earthquake felt really strong. It happened so suddenly that we panicked and evacuated as quickly as possible.]

Colombian aviation authorities announced that reports of earthquake damage were received from seven airports, including Pereira.

At least 61 buildings have been tallied as collapsed due to the earthquake damage, and with many people reportedly trapped under the rubble, the death toll is expected to rise significantly.

This earthquake occurred a month and a half after a series of powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela last June, leaving over 6,000 dead.

(Video Editing: So Jihye)