5.9 quake strikes Colombia

Published time: 14 Sep, 2016 02:22 Edited time: 14 Sep, 2016 13:19

A powerful earthquake measuring 5.9 magnitude has struck northwest Colombia, the US Geological Survey reports.

The epicenter of the quake was located some 129 km (about 66 miles) north northwest of the country’s second largest city, Medellin, at a depth of 72 km (45 miles).

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

Mapa: sismo en Colombia M5.8 - EMSC (preliminar). Posibles daños en las zonas cercanas al epicentro. pic.twitter.com/Z2zA8zbV5w
— SkyAlert (@SkyAlertMx) September 14, 2016

Colombia is located in a subduction zone, meaning earthquakes occur inland, where large masses of land are interacting between each other.

The last major earthquake to hit the country was in March 2015, when a 6.6 magnitude quake struck Santander Department. There were no fatalities.

In 2008, a 5.6 magnitude quake killed 11 people in El Calvario.