The ministry also said the Costa Rican government expressed its deepest solidarity with the people of Colombia following the emergency caused by the earthquake that struck the Chocó region and affected various parts of the country.

“At this difficult time, Costa Rica stands with the brotherly people of Colombia and hopes for a swift recovery, as well as for the strength needed for the country to overcome this emergency,” authorities added.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurred at 7:34 a.m. Colombia time, or 12:34 p.m. GMT, with its epicenter about 3 miles south of San José del Palmar in Colombia’s Chocó Province.

The earthquake in western Colombia occurred as a result of primarily strike-slip faulting at a depth of approximately 68 miles. The earthquake struck in a region characterized by eastward subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate. Because of its depth, the earthquake likely occurred within the subducting Nazca Plate, according to the USGS.

The death toll is likely to rise, with more people feared trapped beneath collapsed buildings.

The fatal earthquake was felt across an enormous area, stretching hundreds of miles across western Colombia. Many of the deaths have been concentrated in the cities of Pereira, Cali and Manizales and in the Valle del Cauca region.

The Colombia earthquake is the third massive, fatal earthquake to affect South America recently. In July, a contingent of more than 60 Costa Rican rescue workers, including firefighters and Red Cross specialists, concluded their humanitarian rescue mission in Venezuela on Wednesday after twin earthquakes measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 devastated the South American nation.

----------