Powerful 6.3 magnitude quake shakes Bogota

Shallow 6.3-magnitude earthquake hits central Colombia, causing panic in Bogota and surrounding areas, high seismic activity zone.

A powerful, shallow 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook the Colombian capital of Bogota early Saturday, according to AFP reporters on the ground and the United States Geological Survey.

The shallow quake struck at 9:08 local time near the city of Paratebueno in central Colombia, some 170 kilometers (105 miles) east of Bogota, the USGS said.

Buildings shook, sirens blared around the capital and people rushed out into the streets, while social media users posted videos of swinging lights and furniture, though the images could not be immediately verified by AFP.

Scores of people gathered in parks and outside buildings in their pajamas, with parents trying to calm frightened kids and others looking for pets that had run away.

"This was very strong," said an elderly lady in Bogota trying to make her way down several flights of steps.

Central Colombia is in a zone of high seismic activity. A 6.2 magnitude quake there in 1999, not far from Ansermanuevo, claimed nearly 1,200 lives.