A 5.7 magnitude earthquake damaged some 200 homes in the southwest of Colombia on Sunday.
No injuries have been reported but buildings in Morales, the closest town to the epicenter of the quake, did suffer. The local church and 200 homes in the town and nearby rural areas were damaged.
The quake originated at 7.56AM at a depth of 145.7 kilometers, 39 kilometers from Popayan, the capital of the Cauca state, and caused a seismic wave that swept much of western Colombia.
The quake was felt in Popayan and Cali.
The list of the townships and villages that suffered damage includes El Porvenir, Danubio, La Estrella, La Estacion, San Isidro, El Rosario y Los Cafes.
In El Carpintero, a key bridge on the main road to Morales suffered considerable damage. The town’s chapel and cultural center also sustained cracks.
The quake hit 13 hours after another large earthquake in Algeria, Valle del Cauca.
Elkin Jesus Salcedo, the director of the Southwestern Seismological and Geophysical Observatory said that “the Nazca plate dove under the South American plate, creating friction or subduction. This means a high seismic threat to Cali and all the west of the country.”
Carlos Ivan Marquez, the director of the National Unit for Risk Management, said that “Colombia has a seismic chain and the possibility of an earthquake is permanently maintained. Hence, our systems are given to monitor constantly and make reports and keep alert contingency plans.”
