A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, killing at least 111 people, damaging hundreds of buildings and leaving many trapped under debris.

Colombia’s Pacific coast, as well as the city of Pereira, sustained significant damage, provincial governors said.

The tremor was felt in the capital Bogota and as far away as Venezuela. The quake also was felt in neighbouring Ecuador.

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“We have just experienced a major earthquake in Choco,” Choco Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi said on X.

“We are concerned about aftershocks. Although the epicentre was near San Jose del Palmar, there are injuries and significant damage to buildings in the capital, Quibdo. We are already carrying out a damage assessments and will issue the first official report shortly.”

Cali’s mayor said about 20 buildings had collapsed in the city and people were trapped beneath the rubble.

The governor of neighbouring Risaralda province, Juan Diego Patino, told local Blu Radio there was “serious damage to some buildings” in Pereira, the provincial capital.

The Mayor of Cali says there are people trapped under buildings following the earthquake. Credit: AAP

“What has just occurred is very severe. The images are truly shocking, with people injured and building facades collapsed,” he said.

The US tsunami warning system said there was no tsunami warning.

Colombia’s geological service revised the quake’s magnitude higher to 7.4 and said its depth was 96km.

Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management said it was in contact with local authorities to verify potential damage.

Bogota’s mayor, Carlos Galan, said on X there was no major damage in the capital.

Reuters witnesses in the Venezuelan border state of Tachira and the central-western city of Barquisimeto reported the quake had been felt there.

Venezuela was hit by devastating twin earthquakes in June, which killed more than 6000 people, mostly on the coast near the capital, Caracas.

with AP and EFE