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An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 jolted northwestern Venezuela, the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences said.
The tremors were felt around 10:21 p.m. on Wednesday (local time). The epicentre, with a depth of 10.0 km, was initially determined to be at 9.75 degrees north latitude and 70.94 degrees west longitude.
The epicentre of the earthquake was near the town of Mene Grande in Zulia state, some 600 kilometres west of the capital, Caracas, according to media reports.
The tremor was felt in many cities, including Caracas. No casualties or property damage have been reported so far, Xinhua news agency reported.
The earthquake was felt across multiple states and even in neighbouring Colombia. Many people evacuated residential and office buildings close to the border areas.
Mene Grande is located on the eastern shore of Lake Maracaibo, a key region for Venezuela’s oil industry. Venezuela holds the largest proven oil reserves in the world.
About an hour later, Communications Minister Freddy Nanez shared on the Telegram app that the Venezuelan Foundation for Technological Research had recorded two earthquakes with magnitudes of 3.9 and 5.4. However, he did not mention the quake identified by the USGS. He noted that the smaller quake occurred in Zulia state, while the larger one took place in Barinas state.
State-owned television continued its regular programming, including a science segment hosted by President Nicolas Maduro, uninterrupted during and after the evening earthquake.
Venezuela has experienced destructive earthquakes for the past four centuries. According to the national seismic catalog, around 180 earthquakes have caused damage in the country.
Earthquakes primarily result from the sudden release of energy along faults in the Earth's crust, typically due to the movement of tectonic plates. These plates are always in motion but can become stuck due to friction. When the built-up stress surpasses the friction, the rocks suddenly shift or break, releasing energy as seismic waves that cause the ground to shake.