6.2-magnitude earthquake hits northwest Venezuela

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake jolted northwest Venezuela on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said.

The agency said the epicentre was 15 miles (24 kilometres) east-northeast of the community of Mene Grande in Zulia state, more than 370 miles (600 kilometres) west of the capital, Caracas. It reported the earthquake had a depth of 5 miles (7.8 kilometres).

People felt the earthquake in several states, and in neighbouring Colombia. Many evacuated residential and office buildings in areas near the border. No damages were immediately reported in either country.

State-owned television did not interrupt its programming, including a science-focused segment led by President Nicolás Maduro, during or after the evening earthquake.

An hour afterward, Communications Minister Freddy Ñáñez announced on the Telegram app that the state’s Venezuelan Foundation for Technological Research had reported two earthquakes with magnitudes of 3.9 and 5.4, but he did not address the quake noted by the USGS. He said the weaker of the two happened in Zulia state; the other happened in Barinas state.

Mene Grande is on the eastern coast of Lake Maracaibo, an important area for the country’s oil industry. Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves.