BOGOTA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- A 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit central Colombia on Thursday, causing one death and severe damage in the departments of Meta and Cundinamarca, authorities said.

In Bogota, where the earthquake was strongly felt, Mayor Claudia Lopez said the city was spared serious damage but a woman died after jumping out the window of her 10th-floor apartment in the south of the city out of fear that the building would collapse from the quake.

"We have a painful incident. A woman in the Madelena neighborhood in Ciudad Bolivar, apparently out of panic, jumped from a 10th floor and died. It is the only serious incident we had. Please, stay calm, stay calm," she said in a video message.

Lopez recommended residents to check for damage to walls and roofs before returning to their homes or workplaces and immediately report any major cracks caused by the earthquake.

Also in Bogota, seven people trapped in an elevator wait to be rescued, some traffic lights were knocked out, and a piece of the dome fell off at the Elliptical Hall of the Congress of the Republic.

In Meta, the epicenter of the earthquake, several homes were destroyed. Cundinamarca reported several landslides and damage to some houses. Enditem

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