At least 26 people have died after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, according to local authorities.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake was recorded at 07:34 local time (12:34 GMT), at a depth of about 107 kilometers. The epicenter was near San José del Palmar, in the Chocó region.
The powerful tremors were felt across much of Colombia, as well as in neighboring Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama.
The earthquake also caused damage to airport infrastructure. The civil aviation authority, Aeronáutica Civil, announced the suspension of operations at several airports for safety reasons, after damage was reported in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura.
Meanwhile, operations at Popayán airport have been suspended due to the presence of ash from the Puracé volcano.
The USGS has also released a tremor map, which shows that tremors from the earthquake spread over a wide area, with intensities ranging from strong to very strong.
Authorities are continuing damage assessment and search and rescue operations, while new data on the number of victims and material damage is awaited.
