Bay of Plenty photographer David Hall has described a terrifying ordeal after being caught in a powerful earthquake that killed more than 100 people in Colombia.

Hall and his wife were in the town of Salento, about an hour south of the city of Pereira, when the magnitude 7.4 quake struck early on Tuesday morning local time.

Speaking while travelling by bus to Medellín, Hall said the shaking lasted several minutes and was so severe he struggled to stay on his feet.

“It went on for about three minutes in full ‘can’t stand up’ mode.”

Hall said they had been travelling through Central and South America for the past six weeks.

Bay of Plenty photographer David Hall has been travelling through Central and South America for six weeks. Photo / David Hall

“Today’s our last day - going out with a bang.”

The couple were due to fly out of Pereira, near the epicentre, later that day but instead joined others seeking to leave the affected region.

“Currently on a six-hour bus to Medellín to escape,” he said in an email to SunLive.

Hall said early reports indicated significant damage in Pereira, while Salento appeared to have escaped the worst destruction.

“Salento damage is mostly collapsed roofs rather than whole buildings.”

Initial reports placed the quake’s epicentre in the country’s west at a depth of about 100km.

David Hall was travelling in Colombia when a powerful earthquake struck near Pereira. Photo / David Hall

Hall said the earthquake was a “real wake-up call”.

He said it started as a light shake that felt like a standard New Zealand rumble, but it quickly intensified.

“We had to get out of the house, which, let’s face it, was probably quite badly constructed, given we’re in rural Colombia.

“Once outside, we clung to each other on the road for what seemed like ages. Power lines were swaying, buildings were rocking, and fortunately none of the structures near us came down.”

Hall said Salento was relatively unscathed, with mainly roof tiles knocked loose, but when they eventually reached Pereira it was a different story.

“There was massive damage, with power, phone and internet services down, and damaged buildings everywhere.

“The most amazing thing was seeing people already inside those buildings, starting to clean up. It clearly wasn’t remotely safe.”

A deadly 7.4 magnitude earthquake tore through western Colombia, causing widespread damage and triggering a state of emergency as rescuers searched for survivors. Photo / David Hall

Colombian authorities later declared a state of emergency as the death toll climbed.

President Abelardo de la Espriella said at least 111 people had died and dozens more had been injured, with the toll expected to rise as rescue crews searched damaged and collapsed buildings, AFP reported.

The hardest-hit areas were reported to be the coffee-growing Risaralda region and Valle del Cauca department, while major damage was also reported in cities, including Cali and Manizales.

News footage showed collapsed buildings, rescue operations and residents gathering in the streets after the quake, which was felt across neighbouring Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela.

Hall said the experience was unlike anything he had encountered before.

“More of a travel anecdote than a story, but it’s been a bit of a day.”

Authorities warned the number of casualties could increase as emergency teams continued searching through rubble and assessing damage across western Colombia.

The quake also disrupted transport infrastructure, with several airports suspending operations and communications outages reported in some areas.

For Hall, the priority was simply getting to safety as rescue efforts continued around the quake zone.