Colombia earthquake: Bay of Plenty photographer recounts three minutes of terror
A New Zealand photographer recounts his experience surviving a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Colombia that resulted in over 100 fatalities. While the town of Salento saw minor damage, the nearby city of Pereira suffered significant destruction to infrastructure.
Why it matters
This provides a first-hand account of a major natural disaster, highlighting the human impact and the severity of the seismic event in the region.
Bay of Plenty photographer David Hall has described a terrifying ordeal after being caught in a powerful earthquake that killed more than 100 people in Colombia.
Hall and his wife were in the town of Salento, about an hour south of the city of Pereira, when the magnitude 7.4 quake struck early on Tuesday morning local time.
Speaking while travelling by bus to Medellín, Hall said the shaking lasted several minutes and was so severe he struggled to stay on his feet.
“It went on for about three minutes in full ‘can’t stand up’ mode.”
Hall said they had been travelling through Central and South America for the past six weeks.
“Today’s our last day - going out with a bang.”
The couple were due to fly out of Pereira, near the epicentre, later that day but instead joined others seeking to leave the affected region.
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