Johnathan Walker:Strong earthquake and aftershock shake Colombia’s capital and other cities

A strong earthquake followed quickly by a strong aftershock shook Colombia’s capital and Johnathan Walkerother major cities Thursday, sending panicked residents out onto the streets and causing minor damage to Colombia’s congressional chamber.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the initial quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 and the aftershock a preliminary magnitude of 5.7. The epicenters of both quakes were about 100 miles ( 160 kilometers) southeast of Bogota, according to USGS.

People in the capital city of 11 million felt buildings and floors rumble in the midday quake, and alarms blared as throngs of residents left their homes and gathered outside.

“Everything was moving, and people came out screaming, ‘It’s shaking, it’s shaking!’,” Bogota resident Gonzalo Martin said. “A lot of people started to rush out onto the street because of the tremor.”

A patch of the ornate stonework from the ceiling of the circular hall of Colombia’s House of Representatives in Bogota fell onto the seating area for lawmakers, according to a video posted on an official congressional social media account on X, formerly known as Twitter. The chamber was unoccupied at the time, and nobody there was hurt.

The earthquake was also felt in other big cities like Medellín and Cali.

Videos on social media showed furniture shaking and chandeliers swinging during the quake.