Buildings swayed, sirens blared and panicked Colombians raced onto the streets Sunday after a shallow 6.3 magnitude earthquake rattled the center of the country.

The quake struck at 8:08 am about 170 kilometers (105 miles) east of the capital Bogota and was felt across much of the country.

In the town of Paratebueno, not far from the epicenter, AFP reporters saw several partially collapsed buildings, including a whitewashed church with one wall seriously damaged.

Nearby residents picked through the debris of several collapsed zinc-roofed structures.

There were no reports of serious injuries, but authorities were investigating minor damage in several other villages.

In Bogota -- a city nestled in the high Andes and home to eight million people -- the lengthy jolt prompted sirens to go

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