7.3-magnitude quake strikes south-west Colombia

BOGOTA (AFP) - A strong earthquake struck the Andes mountains of south-western Colombia on Sunday though there were no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage, Colombian and United States (US) monitoring services said.

The magnitude 7.3 quake struck at 1631 GMT (12.01am Singapore time) some 10km north-west of the Colombian town of Isnos, and 344km north-east of Ecuador's capital Quito, said the US Geological Service (USGS), which monitors earthquakes worldwide.

The USGS initially said it was a magnitude 7.4 quake, then revised it down to a 7.1 quake.

The quake "occurred as a result of normal faulting deep within the subducting Nazca slab," a major fault line that runs along most of the western coast of South America, the USGS said.