A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck northwest Venezuela on Wednesday evening, rattling buildings and prompting people to evacuate homes and offices across several states and neighbouring Colombia, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).The epicentre was located about 24 kilometres east-northeast of Mene Grande in Zulia state, more than 600 kilometres west of Caracas, at a shallow depth of 7.8 kilometres, said the USGS. As per news agency AFP, the area around Mene Grande is sparsely populated, though it remains a critical hub for Venezuela’s oil industry.The quake was felt in major cities, including Caracas and Maracaibo, as well as across the border in Colombia. The Colombian Geological Survey measured the tremor at 6.1 and classified it as a “shallow depth” event, also experienced in Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire, reported AFP.People rushed into the streets as the ground shook, though no major damage or casualties were immediately reported in either country. Interior minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television the tremor was “without significant structural damage”.Communications minister Freddy Ñáñez cited two smaller quakes of 3.9 and 5.4 in Zulia and Barinas states, but did not reference the USGS reading, as per news agency AP.The tremor struck near Lake Maracaibo, a critical hub for Venezuela’s oil industry. Although strong earthquakes are relatively rare in the country, about 80 per cent of Venezuelans live in seismic zones. The last major deadly quake occurred in 1997, when 73 people were killed in Cariaco, Sucre state, while a 1976 tremor in Caracas left nearly 300 dead and 2,000 injured.State-run television continued its programming during the quake, including a science segment led by President Nicolás Maduro, AP reported.
