A 5.1 magnitude tremor is felt in northeastern Colombia

A magnitude 5.1 tremor was felt this Wednesday in several areas of Colombia. According to official data, the movement occurred at 11:45 AM (local time), at a depth of 149 kilometers, in a point of the eastern Andes mountain range in the department of Santander. After an initial report indicated the magnitude was 5.4, the Colombian Geological Survey (SGC) rectified the information.

Read more Russian bombings target children

The SGC reported that the epicenter was near the municipality of La Mesa de los Santos, a town in Santander accustomed to feeling daily earth movements. This time, however, the earthquake was intense enough to force evacuations not only in that town, but also in Bogotá, where alarms were activated in different parts of the city. In Bucaramanga, the departmental capital, and in Tunja (Boyacá), evacuations were also ordered.

The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) indicated that its national crisis room maintains permanent monitoring and verifies possible impacts, in conjunction with local authorities. The mayor of Los Santos, Diego Armando Mendoza, stated on Caracol Radio that, in his municipality, the tremor was felt much stronger than usual, and that he has been contacted by some people who reported structural damage in the rural area of the town.

Read more Actress Busy Phillips reveals she has undergone two surgeries to treat a brain tumor

The movement comes just 16 days after a tragedy that left more than 300 dead in the northwest of the country. That event, the most serious of its kind to occur in Colombia in over a decade, has left a large part of the population in a state of permanent anxiety, leading to greater awareness of the risks of tremors in the country.

Read more The unresolved death of a man hit with a stone in León begins to see the light after three months: his niece and her partner are arrested