A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake occurred at 7:34 a.m. local time (12:34 UTC), with its epicenter located about 5 kilometers (3 miles) east of San José del Palmar in the department of Chocó, roughly 280 kilometers west of Bogotá. The USGS reported a depth of approximately 107 kilometers.

Strong shaking was felt across much of the country, including major cities such as Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Pereira, and Manizales. Residents in the capital evacuated buildings as alarms sounded. Bogotá Mayor Carlos Galán reported no major injuries or structural collapses in the capital, only some cracks in buildings.

In Chocó, the hardest-hit region, Governor Nubia Carolina Córdoba Curi said there were injuries and significant damage to buildings in the departmental capital of Quibdó. Authorities began damage assessments and warned of possible aftershocks.

The relatively deep focus of the earthquake helped limit widespread catastrophic destruction closer to the epicenter, though the shaking was felt over a broad area, including parts of neighboring countries. No tsunami threat was issued.

The event is among the strongest recorded in Colombia in recent years.

Emergency teams continued evaluating the full extent of damage and casualties as aftershocks remained a concern.