5.9 earthquake startles residents of Colombia’s second city
Posted September 13, 2016 11:05 pm.
Last Updated September 14, 2016 12:40 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
BOGOTA – A shallow, 5.9 magnitude earthquake rattled residents of Colombia’s second-largest city of Medellin on Tuesday night in the country’s biggest tremor in over a year.
Colombia’s natural disaster office said there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck shortly before 9 p.m. local time near the western town of Mutata. The tremor had a depth of 10 miles (4 kilometres) and was felt as far away as the capital, Bogota.
While the quake startled people relaxing at home it barely registered among soccer fans attending a match in Medellin between Atletico Nacional and Bolivar from Bolivia.
Colombia is a seismically active country with a large potential for damage owing to its mountainous terrain and location along the Pacific Ocean ring of fire.