At least 20 dead as major quake rocks Colombia, other countries

A powerful earthquake rocked Colombia and neighbouring Latin American countries on Monday, with medical teams rushing to help victims after buildings were damaged or collapsed in several cities. The death toll after the earthquake has risen to at least 20, authorities said. The Colombian geological service and its American counterpart USGS put the magnitude at 7.4, with an epicentre 100km underground in the west of the country. Colombia had initially put it at 6.6. In the town of Pereira, 18 people were killed and others were trapped in buildings that collapsed, Mayor Mauricio Salazar told Caracol Radio. “The situation is critical,” Salazar said after the quake centered in neighbouring…