Colombia hit by 7.4 magnitude earthquake; no casualties reported

GlobalPost

Colombia was hit by a 7.4 magnitude earthquake around 11:30 Sunday morning. 

The quake's center was located 28 miles south of Popayan, Colombia, close to the Ecuador border, Reuters reported

There were no immediate reports of damages or injuries, BNO reported

"It was a very long quake. I think it lasted for about a minute," Luis Felipe Molina, a journalist who lives in Manizales, told BNO News. "It felt very strong in the southwest of the country, according to family and friends' testimonies."

No tsunami warning was issued as a result of the quake, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

"A destructive tsunami was not generated based on earthquake and historical tsunami data," the center said in a bulletin. 

The quake was originally believed to be shallow, though the United States Geological Survey reported that it hit at a depth of 100 miles, or 162 kilometers, CNN reported

"Deep earthquakes in this region ... are not uncommon; there have been 13 similar events deeper than 100 kilometers over the past 40 years, within 500 kilometers" of Sunday's earthquake, the USGS said.

The country has been hit by devastating earthquakes in the past: In 1999, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit the city of Armenia, Colombia, killing at least 1,185

"People get scared really easy in this region after the 1999 quake and death toll," Felipe Molina told BNO. 

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