Colombia earthquake prompts evacuations, no damage reported

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake rattled parts of Colombia on Wednesday, prompting evacuations in Bucaramanga but causing no reported injuries or damage so far.

The quake occurred at a depth of 149 kilometres in Los Santos municipality, near Bucaramanga in northeastern Colombia, an area described as having high seismic activity. Sirens sounded in Bucaramanga and hundreds of people left buildings.

Alarms also went off in Bogota, where some people felt the ground shake.

The tremor came two weeks after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on August 10. That earlier quake killed more than 330 people and destroyed thousands of homes across Colombia's coffee region and Pacific belt.

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared an economic emergency after the August 10 disaster. His government estimates that quake caused $9.57 billion in economic losses.