January 19, 1995 Earthquake: Bogota, Manizales, Miraflores, Colombia
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Bogota, Manizales, Miraflores, Colombia on January 19, 1995 at 15:05:03 UTC, 17 km below the surface. It killed 7 people.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- January 19, 1995
- Time
- 15:05:03 UTC
- Place
- Bogota, Manizales, Miraflores, Colombia
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 17 km (11 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 5.050° N, 72.916° W
- Country
- Colombia
The toll
- Deaths
- 7
- Injuries
- Some (about 51 to 100)
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 512
- Houses damaged
- 20
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Five people killed, several injured and at least 20 major buildings damaged in the Bogota area. One person also killed at Manizales and another at Miraflores. More than 500 houses damaged or destroyed in Boyaca Department and 12 others destroyed in Casanare Department. Landslides blocked several
rivers and streams in Colombia. Felt in much of Colombia and western Venezuela and as far as Caracas, Venezuela. Two events about 1.9 seconds apart. Depth from broadband displacement seismograms, based on first event. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- July 29, 1967, Colombia
- July 12, 1785, Bogota,engativa,caxica,soacha, Colombia
- December 22, 1923, Gachala,gacheta,ubala,medina, Colombia
- May 24, 2008, Meta, Quetame, Colombia
- September 4, 1966, Colombia
- August 31, 1917, Bogota, Ubaque, Soacha, Caqueza, Colombia
- August 17, 2023, Bogota, Boyaca, Cundinamarca, Meta,, Colombia
- June 8, 2025, Cundinamarca, Colombia
- October 18, 1743, Bogota, Colombia
- June 18, 1826, Engativa,bogota,ramiriqui,umbita,tunja, Colombia
- September 18, 1900, Colombia
- August 8, 1903, Colombia
- July 11, 1906, Colombia
- July 14, 1906, Colombia
- May 22, 1942, Colombia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1995The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1995Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5402.