Families dressed in pyjamas took cover on the streets after the earthquake was felt this morning (Picture: REUTERS)

She wrote on X: ‘We have just experienced a severe seismic event in the department of Chocó. We are concerned about aftershocks.

‘Although the epicentre was in San José del Palmar,in the capital Quibdó there are injuries and severe damage to buildings. We are already conducting the damage assessment to issue the first official report.’

Residents looked at damaged buildings in their neighbourhood in Cali (Picture: Getty/AFP)

According to Cali mayor Alejandro Eder,at least 20 buildings have collapsed with people trapped inside.

In Bogota,families getting ready for work and school fled their homes in the middle of breakfast.

Damage to buildings was reported in Manizales,and evacuations in the coastal city of Medellin.

The famous Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Rosary in Manizales is said to have been damaged and may be at risk of collapse.

A map shows where the 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit on Colombia’s Pacific coast (Picture: USGS)

Tremors were also felt across the border in Ecuador’s capital Quito.

It comes less than two months after the deadly earthquake devastated the already embattled Venezuela on June 24.

Two earthquakes levelled buildings in the capital Caracas and in the state of La Guaira,where nearly all buildings were destroyed.

People were trapped under rubble,some for days as rescuers battled to get to them.

As of August,more than 6,100 people have been confirmed dead from the quakes,while tens of thousands are still missing and people remain in hospital.

Why is Central America vulnerable to earthquakes?

The Central and South American region where both Colombia and Venezuela are located is prone to powerful earthquakes.They sit near the boundary of several tectonic plates,making it a lively zone for seismic activity that can hit suddenly.Colombia is prone to natural disasters due to its location on the meeting point of three tectonic plates,the Nazca,the Caribbean Plate and the South American Plate.Earthquakes above 6 on the Richter scale are considered strong,while anything around 7 is major.Even strong 6 Richter tremors can cause significant damage,especially in packed urban areas.Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at . Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.For more stories like this,check our news page.Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.