Did you know that on a day like today, Wednesday February 8, in 1995 one of the earthquakes that has caused the most damage in the city of Pereira occurred?
On February 8, 1995 at 1:40 in the afternoon, an earthquake of magnitude 6.4 on the Richter scale strongly shook Pereira and surrounding municipalities.
The 1995 earthquake left 30 people dead, more than 300 injured, and 1,335 buildings damaged. The center of Pereira, between 17th and 22nd streets with Carrera 13 and Avenida Ferrocarril, a sector that crosses the Egoyá Collector, registered the greatest damage; likewise, several buildings had to be evacuated because they were structurally unstable; This caused many families to be affected.
This seismic event left damage not only in Pereira, but also caused severe damage in some municipalities of Valle del Cauca, such as El Cairo, La Unión, Bolívar, Trujillo, Calima and Ansermanuevo. While, in the department of Risaralda, Dosquebradas and Pereira presented considerable damage to buildings; as well as San José del Palmar and Sipí in Chocó.
In Cali, Manizales and Armenia, the damage to buildings was minor, while in Neiva and Ibagué there was no damage and there was only alarm among the inhabitants. It was slightly felt in Bogotá, Tunja and Popayán.
A total of 35 dead and more than 250 injured were recorded, most of them registered in Pereira.
The National Seismological Network registered until March 31 of that year, a total of 21 aftershocks with magnitudes greater than 3, which were not felt by the population (INGEOMINAS, 1995).