Venezuela earthquake LIVE: Venezuela hit by second 7.5 magnitude earthquake, high casualties probable, says USGS
A strong earthquake shook north-central Venezuela on Wednesday afternoon, west of Caracas, bringing down buildings in the capital, though authorities did not immediately report any
A strong earthquake shook north-central Venezuela on Wednesday afternoon, west of Caracas, bringing down buildings in the capital, though authorities did not immediately report any casualties. The earthquake registered at a magnitude of 7.1, about 160 km west of Caracas, at a depth of 13 km, according to the US Geological Survey.
Minutes later, the US Geological Survey recorded a second powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5. The second quake had a depth of 10 kilometers and its epicenter was 16 kilometers southwest of the city of Morón, Venezuela. The US Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami threat for Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands following the earthquake, adding that islands off the coast of Venezuela — Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire — could also be hit by hazardous waves.
It withdrew the warning within about an hour. "Some buildings have been brought down (in Caracas), houses have collapsed," Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television. Cabello said that states including Trujillo,
Yaracuy, Carabobo, Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira were also affected. Local news showed significant damage to the capital’s airport, with parts of the roof collapsing and throwing up thick clouds of gray dust.
