Sawt Falasteen - Powerful 6.3 magnitude quake shakes central Colombia, damaging buildings

The quake struck at 8:08 am about 170 kilometers (105 miles) east of the capital Bogota and was felt across much of the country.

In the town of Paratebueno, not far from the epicenter, AFP reporters saw several partially collapsed buildings, including a whitewashed church with one wall seriously damaged.

Nearby residents picked through the debris of several collapsed zinc-roofed structures.

There were no reports of serious injuries, but authorities were investigating minor damage in several other villages.

In Bogota -- a city nestled in the high Andes and home to eight million people -- the lengthy jolt prompted sirens to go off and sparked widespread alarm.

Tall buildings visibly moved from side to side, creaking and groaning for almost a minute, while furniture and fittings shook violently.

Thousands of Bogotanos raced downstairs and out of buildings still wearing their pajamas and sought refuge in parks and other open spaces.

Parents tried to calm terrified children, couples hugged and others looked for pets that had run away.

Many were afraid to go back inside as several aftershocks were detected.

"It was a big scare," said 54-year-old Carlos Alberto Ruiz, who left his apartment with his wife, son and dog.

"It's been a while since we felt it this strong here in Bogota," said Francisco Gonzalez, a lawyer who also fled his home.

The United States Geological Survey said the quake struck at a depth of nine kilometers (5.5 miles) near Paratebueno.

The impact was felt as far away as Medellin and Cali -- close to the Pacific coast.

Bogota's security department said on X that emergency workers were conducting a sweep of the city to look for damage and provide assistance.

Bogota's mayor, Carlos Fernando Galan, said all disaster agencies had been activated.

Central Colombia is in a zone of high seismic activity. A 6.2 magnitude quake there in 1999 claimed nearly 1,200 lives.

The country is on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of intense seismic activity where tectonic plates collide that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin to South America.

J.AbuShaban--SF-PST