Series of earthquakes shake Venezuela and cause fear in the population

At least 10 earthquakes, two of them of magnitude 6.2 and 6.3, shook much of Venezuela between Wednesday and early Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Colombian Geological Survey reported.

In cities such as Caracas, many frightened people took to the streets at the stroke of midnight.

The tremors were felt most strongly in western Venezuela, such as oil-producing state Zulia, where residents reported feeling at least three quakes between the afternoon and evening.

They were also felt in the Andean cities of San Cristobal and Merida.

"The first one didn't scare me, but the second one I was lying down and I thought someone was moving my bed, then I saw the walls moving, dogs barking, people screaming, it was very ugly," Almando Mavarez, a resident of Zulia, a region bordering Colombia, told AFP.

The most recent quake was felt strongly in the capital, Caracas. Some buildings shook, causing many to come down from their apartments, AFP journalists noted.

"We were sleeping and suddenly we felt the window panes creaking, everyone in the building went down to the street to wait if another aftershock was coming," Caracas resident Alicia de la Rosa told AFP.

According to the Colombian Geological Service, the second strong seismic event had a magnitude of 6.3 and the depth was shallow, similar in intensity to the other one that occurred in the afternoon.

A previous magnitude-6.2 quake left slight damage to some structures.

The two earthquakes had their epicenter between Mene Grande and Bachaquero, two oil towns in Zulia.

At least 10 minor quakes occurred in the afternoon and evening of Wednesday, according to the Colombian agency.

They were also felt in several western Venezuelan states and in cities in eastern Colombia, such as Bucaramanga.

Zulia Governor Luis Caldera said there was damage to some hospitals and an iconic church in Maracaibo, but no casualties.

"In the face of this seismic movement we have no victims, nor injured," Caldera declared.

The first quake of the afternoon was the strongest felt in Venezuela since 2018 when a 7.3 tremor shook several cities.