GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — A 7.3 magnitude earthquake occurred in Venezuela on Tuesday evening and was felt as far as the Eastern Caribbean.
The quake, which occurred around 5:31 p.m., was centered near the Venezuelan town of Guiria, and was felt as far away as the capital, Caracas, and far beyond. Residents of neighbouring Guyana, as well as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines reported feeling strong shaking.
Witnesses reported seeing and feeling their homes – and even some of their contents – shaking as the tremor continued for as long as 15 seconds.
The University of the West Indies’ Seismic Research Unit measured the earthquake 6.8 at a depth of 73 kilometres, but the magnitude was later upgraded to 7.0 by the United States Geological Survey.
The position of the earthquake in Venezuela was placed at 55 km east southeast of Carúpano, 95 km northeast of Maturín, and 131 km southeast of Porlamar.
In Guyana, many residents they the felt the tremor. “We were in the house when it started to shake. I grabbed my baby and ran out,” one resident of East Bank Berbice said.
