6.1-magnitude quake in Colombia kills 1, topples houses

Bogota, Aug 18 (IANS) At least one person was killed and several houses were damaged after an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck central Colombia, authorities said.

In capital Bogota, where the earthquake was strongly felt on Thursday evening, Mayor Claudia Lopez said the city was spared serious damage but a woman died after jumping out the window of her 10th-floor apartment in the south of the city out of fear that the building would collapse, reports Xinhua news agency.

"We have a painful incident. A woman in the Madelena neighborhood in Ciudad Bolivar, apparently out of panic, jumped from a 10th floor and died. It is the only serious incident we had. Please, stay calm, stay calm," she said in a video message.

Lopez recommended residents to check for damage to walls and roofs before returning to their homes or workplaces and immediately report any major cracks caused by the earthquake.

Also in Bogota, seven people trapped in an elevator wait to be rescued, some traffic lights were knocked out, and a piece of the dome fell off at the Elliptical Hall of the Congress of the Republic.

In Meta department, the epicentre of the earthquake, several homes were destroyed.

The department of Cundinamarca reported several landslides and damage to some houses.