Earthquake Strikes Northern Venezuela As Tremors Felt Across Region
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake has struck northern Venezuela this evening, with tremors felt across a wide area including the cities of Valencia, San Felipe and Puerto Cabello, according to preliminary seismological reports.
The quake struck at around 22:04 UTC — 6:04pm local time — with its epicentre located approximately 104 kilometres east of Barquisimeto in Lara state, at a depth of around 35 kilometres. The relatively shallow depth contributed to the wide area over which shaking was reported, with residents across the Yaracuy and Carabobo regions describing strong movement in homes and buildings. Some reports also suggested tremors were felt as far away as Puerto Rico.
Initial social media reports had cited preliminary magnitudes as high as 7.1 to 7.5 before seismological agencies including the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre revised the figure downward to approximately 6.2. The quake registered moderate shaking of intensity V near the epicentre, according to real-time monitoring services including VolcanoDiscovery.
Social media platform X was flooded with reactions within minutes of the tremors being felt, with residents posting “Terremoto en Venezuela, qué miedo” — “Earthquake in Venezuela, how frightening” — alongside intensity maps and alerts shared by seismic monitoring accounts. Some early posts referenced precautionary tsunami alerts given the proximity of parts of the affected region to the coast, though seismologists noted this was not considered a significant concern for this particular event.
No major casualties or structural damage had been widely reported in reliable sources at the time of writing. Aftershocks remain possible in the hours following the main event. The USGS and EMSC are continuing to monitor the situation actively.
