Watch: Buildings crumble, debris rains down as 7.4-magnitude quake hits Colombia

Dramatic videos showing people running for safety as buildings collapse in clouds of dust and debris have emerged from Colombia after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s west on Monday, killing at least 132 people and injuring more than 570, according to the Colombian Association of Capital Cities.The earthquake struck at 7:34 am local time, with its epicentre in the western department of Chocó. Hundreds of buildings were damaged, while at least 61 reportedly collapsed completely. The government declared a national disaster and deployed soldiers to support rescue operations.Videos shared on social media showed the scale of the destruction. In Pereira, footage showed a building collapsing as people ran for cover, with clouds of dust and debris engulfing the area.Another video showed residents fleeing as a second structure collapsed. A footage also showed damaged and collapsed buildings in the city.Pereira has recorded the highest number of fatalities, with at least 60 deaths reported there, according to the Colombian Association of Capital Cities. Local footage showed rubble-strewn streets and people searching damaged buildings.At Pereira’s Matecaña International Airport, footage showed ceiling sections collapsing and debris falling across the passenger seating area as travellers took cover.Emergency responders were also working in Cali, where the paediatric and neonatal sections of a hospital were among the structures damaged. Search teams and civilians sifted through rubble, passing large pieces of concrete along lines of volunteers.The earthquake has also triggered a growing search for missing people. One digital database had listed more than 2,000 people, mostly in Cali and Pereira, as families sought information about loved ones.Photos included those of a young mother and her baby in Pereira and an 80-year-old woman in Cali.Colombia’s Pacific region lies along the “Ring of Fire”, a major zone of seismic activity around the Pacific Ocean. The remote Chocó region, much of it covered by dense jungle and accessible mainly by boat or aircraft, could make it difficult for authorities to assess the full extent of the damage.Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella said at least 87 people had been injured and around 1,600 buildings damaged. He also declared an emergency to expedite funding for the earthquake recovery.The disaster has revived memories of Colombia’s 1999 coffee-region earthquake, which killed 1,185 people and injured more than 8,500.