BOGOTA – The historic Pier of Puerto Colombia in Atlantico province was destroyed on Saturday by high winds along the northern Colombian coastline, authorities in the region said.

The construction, which was in an advanced stage of deterioration, could not withstand the force of sea swells and a stretch some 200 meters (656 feet) long of its more than 500-meter (1,640-foot) length collapsed.

Residents of the Puerto Colombia municipality told Caracol Radio that the destruction of the pier “destroyed a great part of the history” of this coastal town, which had made it “the trading port” of the nation.

The Pier of Puerto Colombia near Barranquilla was inaugurated June 15, 1893 and was built by Cuban architect Francisco Javier Cisneros.

The high winds in Colombia’s Caribbean region are due to the descent of cold fronts from North America, according to sources at the Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Institute, or Ideam.

The weather has caused flooding along the coast and in avenues and seafront promenades of several cities in that part of northern Colombia.

Ideam asked local emergency committees to activate emergency plans, while several port authorities along the coast have banned since Friday small tourist and fishing boats from putting to sea.