Scary' 7.3 Magnitude Earthquake In Venezuela Is Area's 'Largest Historic Event' In Centuries

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

A 7.3-magnitude earthquake rocked Venezuela on Tuesday after hitting off the coast near Yaguaraparo in a disaster authorities have called the “largest historic event” since 1900, reports say.

No injuries or deaths were reported, but the quake caused structural damage to many buildings in the South American country, Venezuela's Interior Ministry said, according to CNN. The quake was felt as far away as Bogota, Colombia, the Associated Press reported.

In Venezuela, the earthquake damaged supermarkets and sent concrete falling from the Tower of David skyscraper in Caracas, which was under construction, according to the AP.

Trinidad experienced power outages, and Colombia's El Dorado International Airport in Bogota was closed temporarily as authorities inspected for runway damage, the site reported.

“This is the largest historic event within 250 km of this location in the 20th and 21st centuries,” the US Geological Survey said on its website. "All prior damaging earthquakes in this region have been shallow."

One person wrote on Twitter that they felt the effects of the quake in the Caribbean country of Grenada, calling it, “the scariest moment of my life.”

Marisela Lopez told the AP that she was with her daughter in downtown Caracas when the earthquake hit.

"We felt something strong and they told everyone to run," she recalled to the outlet.

Néstor Luis Reverol, the Venezuelan interior minster, asked on Twitter that people remain calm, The Guardian noted. Edwin Rojas, Sucre's governor, reportedly said, “All of the state's 15 municipalities… felt a big impact but thank God there are no victims to death and no damage.”