In brief
On Monday a 7.4‑magnitude earthquake slammed into Colombia’s Capital District, killing at least 169 people and causing widespread damage. A mother named Liliana Pérez Ocampo and her husband recorded the terrifying instant they fled their home before the shaking hit. The video shows the family hurriedly scrambling into the street, while outside the tremor grew stronger. The parents report that despite the loss of belongings, everyone remains safe – a powerful reminder that safety comes first. Broadly, this quake is the strongest hit the country has seen in the 21st century.
The story starts with a video captured by a Colombian family in Bogotá (or the major capital district) as the ground beneath them shivered and then shook with a 7.4‑magnitude earthquake. Moment by moment, the footage shows the family members – two adults and two young children – grabbing whatever belongings they could, running out of their apartment, and scrambling into the street as the quake intensified.
Liliana Pérez Ocampo – the mother of four – told BBC World Service that initially they thought it was a mild tremor. But when the vibration went on for more than half a minute and the whole building began to rock, they knew it was a full‑blown earthquake. She said, “In the end, material things can be replaced; the most important thing is life, and we have that.”
The family escaped safely, though the quake has already caused immense destruction throughout the country, with at least 169 fatalities reported so far. The national geological service declared it the strongest earthquake Colombia has experienced since the year 2000.
