Complete chaos: how Manizales experienced the earthquake, a city among collapsed buildings and broken facades

Source of the image, AFP via Getty ImagesCaption, According to the mayor of Manizales, Jorge Rojas, 15 buildings were collapsed and about a hundred with damages. Author, Luis Felipe Molina R. Author's title, Special for BBC News Mundo from ManizalesPublication date 8 minutesReading time: 6 min"My office, everything is gone. Nothing remained." This is how Paula Mejía, a dentist from Manizales, one of the cities most affected by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that shook Colombia this Monday, laments. The police allowed her to enter to see what she could save from her clinic, but she tells BBC Mundo that she still does not dare to estimate the losses. The earthquake, recorded at 7:34 in the morning, had its epicenter about 20 kilometers from San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó, and at a depth of 96 kilometers, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The Colombian Geological Service described it as "the largest magnitude recorded in Colombia in the last decade." And although Manizales, the capital of the department of Caldas, is about 90 kilometers away, on the other side of the Western mountain range, its mayor, Jorge Rojas, has described the situation in the municipality as "complete chaos." So far, the official death toll in the city is three, while the national total exceeds one hundred, and the structural impact is extensive. Source of the image, Luis Felipe Molina R. / BBC News MundoCaption, "We have huge damages," said the mayor of Manizales, Jorge Rojas. Lacking a complete diagnosis, "because the priority is to attend to the emergency," the mayor announced that there are more than 15 buildings completely collapsed and about a hundred with partial damages. "It is a critical and difficult moment for our city," he told RCN Radio. The earthquake "was incredibly strong here and we have huge damages." Jump More read and continue readingMore read End of More read Fallen buildings This is not the first time that the people of Manizales have faced an earthquake. In 1999, they already felt the tremors of a magnitude 6.1 quake, whose epicenter was in Córdoba, in the department of Quindío, at 21 kilometers depth, which left 1,185 dead, 8,536 injured, and more than 35,000 homes destroyed or uninhabitable in the region. This Monday, awaiting conclusive official figures, one of the images of Manizales that has perhaps been most circulated is that of the cathedral, with its northeast tower tilted due to the quake and the evangelists that used to be on top of the spires fallen. But a tour around the city makes evident the destruction of infrastructure beyond that. Source of the image, AFP via Getty ImagesCaption, One of the towers of the Manizales cathedral was tilted due to the quake. One of the collapsed buildings was located on Santander Avenue, in front of the Catholic University, and was usually occupied by students. By the time of writing this report, the area remained cordoned off and rescue agencies continued working there, as well as in other sectors of the city. For a Monday workday, businesses should be open and streets filled with cars and buses, yet the roads look empty. José Barreto works at Patty fruit shop, in the popular El Cable sector, one of the most affected. A wall of an adjacent shop collapsed and had to close. "We are without water and electricity for now. Sales, yes, are serious, until we are allowed to reopen," he says. About 100 meters east, on the same Santander Avenue, is the Parque Médico building, a complex of medical and insurance companies that is usually very busy at the exact time the tremor occurred. From my building, I saw a large part of a wall of the complex detach, falling onto the street and burying a parked red vehicle. Source of the image, Luis Felipe Molina R. / BBC News MundoCaption, Municipal authorities have called on residents not to enter damaged buildings. On the north side of Parque Médico, along Juan Antonio Toro Avenue, is the Área Cable building. In front of the entrances to its parking lots, another piece of a wall from an insurance office fell. Among the debris, forms with the Bolívar Insurance letterhead can be seen. Jorge García was on duty as a guard, just four meters away. "First, the facilities shook. Then I heard a very loud crash, which was the wall of Parque Médico. Thank God, there were no vehicles entering or leaving, nor pedestrians," he said. Outside, at Café Tostao, a pergola also collapsed. The guard reports that two people were injured by shards. Now he works from the street while engineers finish inspecting the building. "What comes next is critical" Mayor Rojas called on the population to stay away from affected structures. "We ask people not to go into the rubble, please, because that is a risk. Everyone stay in your homes and do not move your vehicles so we can continue working," he told RCN Radio. He also reported that a contingent of 500 members has been organized to respond to the emergency, and that a shelter has already been set up at the city's main coliseum, with plans to open two more. He announced the suspension of classes and urged the population to stay home and not to buy excessively at supermarkets, "because there will be no shortage." Also, "we are doing all administrative tasks to move resources for what comes next, because what comes next is very critical. We cannot leave buildings half-collapsed for weeks. That has to be addressed in the next two or three weeks," he emphasized. Source of the image, Luis Felipe Molina R. / BBC News MundoCaption, Municipal authorities have set up shelters for those left homeless. He clarified that municipal authorities are coordinating with the general director of the Risk Management Unit and the Minister of Interior, and that the president, Abelardo de la Espriella, is aware of the situation in the city. For his part, the mayor, who took office on Friday, stated on X that he ordered the installation of a Unified Command Post that brings together different institutions to coordinate decisions in assisting the victims at the national level. Download the new BBC World Service app. Choose BBC News Mundo and receive news alerts, documentaries, and analysis, all in one place. Important: the new app is not available in the United Kingdom or the United States.