6.3-magnitude quake shakes northwest Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela: A 6.3-magnitude quake shook northwestern Venezuela late Wednesday, following a slightly smaller tremor in the area, the US Geological Survey reported.

The epicenter of the quake was at a depth of 14 kilometers (8.7 miles), 27 kilometers from Mene Grande, an oil town in a sparsely populated area of the state of Zulia.

The most recent earthquake was felt in the capital Caracas, more than 600 kilometers way. Some buildings shook, prompting many residents to leave their apartments, AFP journalists reported.

The USGS said “there is no significant tsunami threat from this earthquake”, adding in its latest advisory that “No action is required.”

The quake followed a 6.2-magnitude tremor in the same area hours earlier, that was felt as far as in neighboring Colombia and in the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire.

There were no immediate reports of major damage.

In Venezuela, where strong quakes are not common, shaking buildings caused alarm in cities including Caracas and Maracaibo.

People streamed out into the streets, but Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television the quake was “without significant structural damage.”

About 80 percent of Venezuelans live in seismic zones, but the country has not had a major event since 1997, when 73 people died when a quake hit Cariaco in the eastern state of Sucre.

In 1976, nearly 300 were killed and 2,000 injured when a tremor hit Caracas.