At least one hundred and eleven people have been killed after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday morning, prompting the country's new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, to declare a national disaster.
Colombia's Geological Service says the quake — centred in the department of Choco, roughly 150 miles west of Bogota — was the strongest recorded in the country in a decade. In the city of Cali, at least twenty buildings have collapsed, with people still trapped under the rubble.
Seven airports across western Colombia have suspended services, and the army has deployed five platoons of rescue soldiers to the worst-hit areas.
Nick Harper reports from Washington.
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Reporter Nick Harper in Washington says the tremor was felt well beyond Colombia's borders, and that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington stands ready to help.
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