In brief
On Monday the Colombian city of Armero was rocked by a 7.4‑magnitude earthquake that left at least 169 people dead. A family—captured on video—escaped moments before the tremor struck, with the mother describing how the shake intensified “more than 30 seconds” before it hit. All four members, including two young children at school, are safe. “Material things can be replaced…the most important is life,” the mother told the BBC. The earthquake marks the most powerful in Colombia’s 21st‑century history and underscores the need for better preparedness in the region.
In the early hours of Monday, a family in Colombia escaped their home just moments before a 7.4‑magnitude earthquake struck the region, leaving 169 people dead across the country. The incident was recorded on video and posted to the BBC World Service where the mother‑of‑four, Liliana Pérez Ocampo, shared the harrowing experience.
At first, we thought it was just a mild tremor like the ones that usually happen in Colombia, but when more than 30 seconds passed and everything was shaking harder, we realised it was an earthquake.
The family, whose two children were in school at the time, is safe. "In the end, material things can be replaced," Pérez Ocampo reflected. "The most important thing is life, and we have that."
The Colombian Geological Service confirmed that this event was the strongest earthquake in the nation’s 21st‑century history. Early reports cited 169 fatalities, with many more injured and displaced.
For more details on the earthquake’s impact and nationwide response, visit the BBC page on the story: More on this story.