5.5 Colombian Earthquake: 14 dead

[HURAKAN]

Colombian earthquake death toll rises to 14

BOGOTA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a 5.5-magnitude earthquake that jolted Meta province in central Colombia has risen to 14, authorities said Sunday.

More than 300 people were injured and 2,000 families were affected. The quake also caused varying degrees of damage to hundreds of buildings including schools and churches.

Among the victims were six people killed by boulders shaken loose by the quake and fell on their cars that were running on a highway linking Bogota and Villavicencio, the provincial capital of Meta, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

The eight newly reported deaths were also caused by falling rocks, the ministry said.

Colombia's Red Cross said 65 people were seriously injured, but there were no reports of people missing.

President Alvaro Uribe visited some of the quake-stricken areas on Sunday and said current relief efforts should focus on clearing rocks, fallen electricity poles and debris of buildings, so as to restore traffic in Meta province as soon as possible.

The quake struck at 2:21 p.m. local time (1921 GMT) on Saturday with the epicenter in El Calvario in Meta province at a depth of 3.9 km, according to the state seismological service.

It is the strongest temblor to jolt the country since 1991 when Colombia's coffee-growing region was hit by a 6.2-magnitude quake, which killed at least 1,230 people.

Since Saturday, numerous aftershocks were registered, including a 4.1-magnitude quake at 4:39 a.m. local time (0939 GMT) with the epicenter 50 km from Bogota.