Magnitude 5.6 earthquake hits Northern Venezuela

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 hit northern Venezuela early on Thursday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, with witnesses reporting tremors more than 100 km (60 miles) from the epicenter. The quake was recorded 4 km northeast of San Diego at 0859 GMT at a depth of about 10 km, according to the USGS website.

“The whole house shook,” said a witness in Club de Campo, 102 km from the epicenter, in a posting on the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) website.

Another witness said the quake lasted five or six seconds.

There have so far been no reports of injuries or damages from the earthquakes.

But the US Geological Society (USGS) has estimated a relatively high likelihood of fatalities.

Their initial, automated report estimated a 44 percent chance at least one life would be lost, a 27 percent chance the death count could reach 10, and a five percent chance it could top 100. There is a 24 percent chance no lives will be lost.

The USGS also said it was more than likely between 10 and 100 million dollars in damage has been caused, at 55 percent.

The USGS said: “Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist.

“The predominant vulnerable building types are wood and adobe block construction.”

This morning's quake was followed by a slightly weaker and deeper 5.1 magnitude earthquake.