40 killed as ’quake rocks Colombian towns

Press, 26 November 1979, Page 9

40 killed as ’quake rocks Colombian towns

NZPA-Reuter Bogota Five more bodies have been discovered in the ruins of houses wrecked by an earthquake on Saturday in Colombia, bringing the death toll to 40. About 500 people were injured by the tremor, which lasted about 15 seconds. It was the worst in Colombia for 20 years. The Colombian police and the Red Cross said the towns of Pereira, 300 km north-west of Bogota, and Manizales, 50km from the capital, were the worst affected. The towns of Cali, Armenia, and Medellin were also hit. Ten people were killed in Pereira, and 150 were injured. Seven buildings collapsed, and 13 were heavily damaged. A five-storey building was among those that collapsed in Pereira, and the police feared more bodies might be found under the debris.

In Manizales, five people died, 150 were ininjured, and a number of buildings, houses, and shops were severely damaged, according to official reports.

The Los Andes geophysical survey office in Bogota has said the earthquake registered six on the 12point Mercalli scale, and the epicentre was off the Colombian coast beneath the Pacific Ocean. The tremor caused fires and temporary communications cuts and power blackouts in Pereira and Manizales.