A strong earthquake shook the Colombian capital Bogota on Thursday, the country's geological agency reported, setting off sirens and sparking brief panic on the streets.

The Colombian Geological Survey (CGS) put the magnitude of the quake at 6.1, while the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported it at 6.3.

According to the CGS, the earthquake struck at 12:04 pm (1704 GMT), with its epicenter in the town of El Calvario in the center of the country, 40 kilometers south-east of Bogota.

It was followed by a 5.9-magnitude aftershock, the agency posted on social media.

Buildings shook and sirens sounded as thousands of panicked residents poured into the streets of the capital, gripping their cellphones as they called loved ones, according to AFP journalists.