Earthquake kills six in Colombia

BOGOTA, Colombia -- A moderate earthquake shook the Colombian capital Saturday afternoon, killing at least six people and injuring more than 10. The quake, with a preliminary measurement of magnitude

Sunday, May 25th 2008, 7:41 am

By: News 9


BOGOTA, Colombia -- A moderate earthquake shook the Colombian capital Saturday afternoon, killing at least six people and injuring more than 10.

The quake, with a preliminary measurement of magnitude 5.6, shook buildings and sent residents running into the streets.

Colombian Interior Minister Carlos Holguin confirmed that six people were killed by falling rocks and earth on a highway between Bogota and Villavicencio.

The quake started about 2:20 p.m. local time (19:20 GMT) and was centered about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of the capital, the U.S. Geological Survey said

It struck at a depth of just 6 miles (10 kilometers) and lasted about 40 seconds. Shallower earthquakes are felt more strongly than those that occur deep in the earth.

A number of smaller aftershocks were felt over the next hour.

Many people fled buildings, fearing that they could collapse, and anxiously waited on the streets of Bogota. Phone systems were down briefly, and calls to officials went unanswered.

President Alvaro Uribe ordered officials to assess the damage quickly "to learn how to help the community."

Emergency crews reported that a church in Puenquetame, about 20 miles (35 kilometers) southeast of Bogota, suffered serious structural damage, according to Luza Amanda Pulido, director of the president's disaster office. Some homes were also damaged.

(Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

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