More than 130 dead after powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocks Colombia

The epicentre - recorded at 82 kilometres deep - is reported to be in San José del Palmar, a community of about 4,800 in the Choco region, between the cities of Cali and Medellin.

At least 20 buildings came down in the quake on Monday in Cali with people trapped inside, Mayor Alejandro Eder said.

The tremor was also strongly felt in neighbouring countries such as Quito, the Ecuadorian capital, and Panama, according to the Colombian Geological Service.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella said he is leading the emergency response and will travel to the quake zone immediately.

A number of flights have also been suspended with Colombia's aviation authority reported damage at several regional airports, including those in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura.

So far, there have been no reports of aftershocks and no tsunami warning.

Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi, the governor of Colombia's western Choco department, reports "injuries and serious damage to buildings" in Quibdo, the department capital.

"We have just experienced a major earthquake in the department of Choco," she wrote on social media.

"We are concerned about aftershocks. Although the epicentre was in San Jose del Palmar, in the capital there are injuries and severe damage to buildings.

"We are already conducting the damage assessment to issue the first official report."

Venezuela was hit by devastating twin earthquakes in June, which killed more than 6,000 people, mostly on the coast near the capital, Caracas.

In Manizales, east of the epicentre, images show the damage sustained by the cathedral.

One of the towers of the famous neo-Gothic cathedral collapsed and fell on the nave.

Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas said at least two people have been killed.