4.9-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Venezuela's Northern Coast

The Venezuelan Foundation of Seismological Research said that the earthquake, which hit the country's northern coast in the early hours of Wednesday morning (local time), was less powerful than reported by the US Geological Survey.

A quake shook the northern coast of Venezuela at 05:00 local time on Thursday. José Negrón Valera, a Sputnik contributor, reported that tremors were felt as far as Caracas.

According to the Venezuelan Foundation of Seismological Research, the epicentre was located at a depth of 12 kilometres, northwest of the town of Valencia in the state of Carabobo, some 130km away from Caracas. The earthquake struck 4.9 on the Richter Scale.

Videos circulating on social media show people in Caracas leaving their homes during the disruption.

⚡️🎥Así está la situación ahora en la Parroquia El Valle, #Caracas, después del #temblor. Aún se pueden sentir pequeñas réplicas https://t.co/7EW7H7Knqb

Vídeo de nuestro colaborador en #Venezuela @josenegronv pic.twitter.com/LzcQHsAF32

— Sputnik Mundo (@SputnikMundo) 27 декабря 2018 г.

The US Geological Survey, for its part, said the quake had a magnitude of 5.6. A 4.9-magnitude earthquake is considered to be "light", while a 5.6 one is viewed as "moderate".

Prelim M5.6 Earthquake near the coast of Venezuela Dec-27 08:59 UTC, updates https://t.co/OxJBkMtElb

— USGS Big Quakes (@USGSBigQuakes) 27 декабря 2018 г.

​No reports of material damage or casualties have been reported so far.

This is not the first quake to strike Venezuela this year: in August, a much more powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake rocked the northern coast, shaking buildings in the capital.

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