Colombia Rocked By Earthquake

A strong earthquake hit southern Colombia on Saturday, killing at least five people when it loosened a rockslide that demolished a house, civil defense officials reported.

The rockslide left one girl injured and two people trapped. Their fate was not immediately known.

The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.2, struck at 6:23 p.m. It also damaged some buildings and temporarily cut telephone and power service in the region, near the Ecuadorean border.

Its epicenter was near Pasto, a city 350 miles south of the capital, the Geological and Mining Investigations Institute reported. A less powerful aftershock struck four minutes later.