Earthquake in Colombia recalls the tragedy of the great 1999 earthquake in the city of Armenia

Bogotá.- The 7.4-magnitude earthquake that shook Colombia this Monday, leaving at least 111 dead, brought to mind the one in the city of Armenia, capital of the Quindío department, which on January 25, 1999, caused 1,185 deaths in the coffee-growing region in the center of the country.

The Colombian president, Abelardo de la Espriella, declared a “national disaster” due to the earthquake, which leaves a partial toll of 111 dead and 87 injured and great destruction in at least five departments: Valle del Cauca, Chocó, Quindío, Risaralda and Caldas, the latter three being the same ones affected by the great earthquake 27 years ago.

The Armenia earthquake caused the death of 971 people in that city alone, as well as 5,377 injured and more than 21,000 homes damaged or destroyed, according to data from the Colombian Geological Service (SGC).

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The poor construction of housing was one of the main causes of the destruction from that earthquake, which also affected other municipalities in the area, such as Pereira, Córdoba, Montenegro, Filandia, and Alcalá, bringing the total number of deaths to 1,185, plus 8,536 injured, 35,972 homes destroyed or uninhabitable, and 6,408 coffee farms affected.

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That earthquake had a magnitude of 6.1, at a depth of 21 kilometers, with its epicenter in the town of Córdoba (Quindío), while Monday’s, at 7.4, occurred at a depth of 103 kilometers, in San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó, in the Pacific region, according to a bulletin from the SGC.

“This is the seismic event of the highest magnitude recorded in Colombia in the 21st century. As of the time of publication of this press release, 21 aftershocks have occurred, and it is likely that they will continue to occur,” the Geological Service indicated regarding today’s earthquake.

The Armenia earthquake had a total of 138 aftershocks over the course of a month, the strongest of which was on January 25th itself, with a magnitude of 5.5.