A series of at least four earthquakes struck northwestern Venezuela on Wednesday and early Thursday, with the strongest quakes measured at about 6.3 and 6.2 magnitude, both with shallow focal depths and epicentres near Mene Grande in Zulia state; tremors were widely felt across Venezuela, including Caracas, and over the border in parts of Colombia, prompting widespread evacuations of homes and office buildings.
Initial reports and seismic agencies recorded multiple aftershocks following the main events, and observers described strong, localized shaking because the quakes occurred at shallow depths, increasing the intensity of ground motion even at moderate magnitudes.
Preliminary damage assessments cite structural damage in affected towns, power outages, cracked roads and collapsed homes; official tallies compiled in the immediate aftermath reported at least one death, more than 100 injured, dozens of destroyed or damaged houses and interruptions to hospitals and other critical infrastructure as authorities continue surveys and relief work.
Seismologists note the region lies at the interface of the Caribbean and South American plates, where shallow, compressional faulting can yield destructive shaking; emergency services remained on alert as authorities carry out search, stabilization and recovery operations while monitoring for further aftershocks and secondary hazards such as landslides.
