7.3 Magnitude Quake Jolts Venezuela, no Tsunami Threat

Caracas: An earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale has jolted Venezuela, with no immediate reports of casualties. The Venezuelan Seismological Research Foundation (Funvisis) said the quake occurred on Tuesday evening at 5:31 p.m., with the epicenter, located 19 km southeast of the town of Yaguaraparo, in Sucre state, Xinhua news agency reported.

The quake was felt in surrounding regions, including the states of Nueva Esparta, Monagas, Bolivar, Delta Amacuro, Aragua and Carabobo, and the capital Caracas, Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said. People were forced to evacuate buildings in the capital. The strong tremor, which cracked walls and streets, was also felt in nearby Trinidad and Tobago, and as far as Colombia’s capital Bogota, where the international airport was briefly closed. The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center earlier issued a warning saying destructive tsunami waves were possible, but later revised its forecast, saying that there was no tsunami threat from the quake. The central government was in contact with state governors to coordinate monitoring efforts, the minister added. (IANS)