The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) has updated its advice after yesterday’s earthquake in Colombia in which at least 132 people died.
The 7.4 earthquake – described as the biggest to hit Colombia in many years – struck at 7.34am local time on Monday in Choco province, but its impact was felt for hundreds of miles across the west of the country.
Many of the deaths occurred in the city of Pereira, in Colombia’s coffee-growing region. Surrounding areas, including Valle del Cauca, Manizales, Quibdó, Medellín and Chocó, have also been badly hit.
The epicentre of the quake was near the village of San José del Palmar, in Chocó province, but local mayor León Fabio Marín Moncada said there had been no deaths or injuries, despite the roads in and out being damaged, the BBC reports.
La Nubia Airport, Manizales; Matecaña International Airport, Pereira; El Edén International Airport, Armenia; El Caraño Airport, Quibdó; Santa Ana Airport, Cartago and Gerardo Tobar López Airport, Buenaventura are all currently closed, the FCDO said.
It said: “On the morning of Monday 10 August, Colombia suffered an earthquake affecting large parts of the country. Initial reports indicate a magnitude of 7.4 with its epicentre near San José del Palmar in the department of Chocó in the West of Colombia (approximately 90km from Bogotá).”
It warned: “Expect potential disruption to travel and airport closures. Wider infrastructure and roads may be affected.
“If you’re in Colombia, follow the advice of local authorities, stay away from damaged buildings and plan ahead.”
It added travellers should be ‘aware of the possibility of earthquake aftershocks’.
Latin American Travel Association Chair Martin Johnson said: “We are saddened to see the news of the earthquake in Colombia and our thoughts are with all those affected.
“We are in contact with our members in the region who are monitoring the situation, first and foremost ensuring the safety and wellbeing of those clients and staff in the most affected areas.
“As always, we recommend that travellers book through a reputable tour operator, who will keep a close eye on the situation and be able to make any changes to your itinerary, if necessary.”
Latin Routes Marketing Manager Luiz Paulo Marques told Travel Gossip the earthquake was ‘devastating’.
He said: “Currently, we have one family group in Colombia, and they were in Cartagena at the time. They felt no impact from the quake, all safe and well and are continuing with their travels as planned.
“We also have another group due to arrive in Colombia later this week, which we’ve been in contact with, and they might just need to adjust their itinerary once we have a better understanding of the damage to certain areas. We also have other groups scheduled for September, so we’ll continue to monitor the situation closely and work with them as needed.”
Real-time updates are available, in Spanish, from the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) here, and Colombia’s Geological Services here.
