At least 132 killed after strong quake hits western Colombia

The death toll from a magnitude-7.5 earthquake that struck western Colombia on Monday has risen to 132 nationwide, with more than 570 others injured, the Colombian government said in its latest update.

"The national government has all of its capabilities deployed to protect lives, assist affected communities and deliver aid wherever it is needed," Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella said in a national address around 1 p.m., upon declaring a national state of emergency.

"The first priority is rescuing the people ​trapped under the rubble."

The heaviest casualties appeared concentrated in Risaralda, part of Colombia's coffee-growing region. Pereira, the department's capital, suffered extensive damage, with rescue workers continuing to search collapsed buildings for survivors.

Mauricio Andrade, a firefighter in Cali, told Reuters his team had rescued two adult women and two children from a collapsed building. He added that his team was preparing to rescue more people from the rubble.

"They are alive," he said. "We are making space so we can free them and get them out."

The Colombian government earlier Monday declared a state of national disaster to respond to the impact of the earthquake.

According to the Colombian Geological Service, the quake struck at 7:34 a.m. in western Colombia. Its epicenter was near San Jose del Palmar, in the department of Choco, at a depth of 96 kilometers.

The Chinese Embassy in Colombia said it had not received any reports of Chinese citizens killed or injured. 

Colombia sits along the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire and records thousands of mostly minor earthquakes each ​month.

Northwestern University seismologist Suzan van der Lee told Reuters the quake's powerful magnitude, inland location and strike-slip motion may have amplified damage in populated valleys despite its considerable depth.

"This one was far below the crust, and in theory it shouldn't cause as much shaking. At this magnitude, it did actually cause a lot of shaking," she said.

(With input from agencies)