Strong Earthquake Shakes Venezuela, Felt as Far as Caracas
VENEZUELA – A powerful earthquake rattled parts of Venezuela on Wednesday, with the epicenter located 27 kilometers from the small oil town of Mene Grande in Zulia state, at a depth of 14 kilometers (8.7 miles).
The tremor was felt across the country, including in the capital Caracas, more than 600 kilometers away, where some buildings shook and residents hurried out of their homes, AFP journalists reported.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said there was no significant tsunami threat and that “no action is required.”
This earthquake follows a 6.2-magnitude tremor in the same area just hours earlier, which was strong enough to be felt in neighboring Colombia and on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire.
There have been no immediate reports of major damage.
Although Venezuela is not known for frequent strong earthquakes, the shaking sparked alarm in cities including Caracas and Maracaibo. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello told state television that the quake caused “no significant structural damage.”
Experts note that about 80 percent of Venezuelans live in seismic zones. The country has not experienced a major quake since 1997, when 73 people died in Cariaco, Sucre state. In 1976, a tremor in Caracas killed nearly 300 people and injured 2,000.
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