Hundreds dead/Watch buildings collapse in Colombia earthquake (VIDEO)

At least 111 people have been killed and 87 injured after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Colombia on Monday. The worst-hit regions were Valle del Cauca, Choco, Antioquia, Caldas and Rizalda. Dozens of people were killed in the Valle del Cauca region, home to Cali, Colombia's third-largest city.

The quake had a depth of 115 km, was felt strongly and caused extensive damage to buildings. Colombia's geological survey said the epicenter was in the province of Choco, on the Pacific coast. The US Geological Survey said no tsunami warning had been issued. The country's president, Abelardo de la Esperanza, declared a national disaster.

"There have been collapses in some areas here and of course, some people are trapped. However, we are already here with the Army, working to get them out and carrying out the necessary evacuations," said the governor of one of the affected areas. 

The powerful earthquake caused buildings to collapse, trapping many people in the rubble. 

The earthquake that struck Colombia occurred at 7:34 a.m. local time (2:34 p.m. Albanian time) and was felt in the capital Bogota and Cali, as well as in Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama.

"What happened to us today is tragic. We do not know, at this moment, the true extent of the effects of the earthquake," said Mauricio Salazar, mayor of Perreria as authorities continue to assess the damage and deal with the emergency.

After the earthquake, authorities in the city of Cali decided to evacuate hospitals and launched an operation to remove patients from the buildings for fear of their collapse.

Social media videos showed debris falling from an emergency services building in California. Pieces of the building fell on ambulances parked outside as people ran for their lives. ©Prepared by LAPSI.al