Three strong earthquakes struck northwestern Venezuela within a span of about five hours on Wednesday night, causing shaking in cities across the border in Colombia, as well, the United States Geological Survey said.
The series began at 6:21 p.m. with a 6.2-magnitude quake in the Venezuelan state of Zulia that struck roughly 15 miles east of Mene Grande, a city near Maracaibo, the center of Venezuela’s oil industry, the U.S.G.S. said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
It was followed by a 4.9-magnitude quake at 10:42 p.m. in Zulia and a magnitude 6.3 one at 11:51 p.m. in the state of Trujillo. The three quakes occurred at a shallow depth of less than nine miles, meaning they were likely to cause damage, the U.S.G.S. said.
Vice President Delcy Rodríguez of Venezuela, in an interview early Thursday on state television, said there were no reports of casualties and that the nation was on high alert after nearly two dozen earthquakes and aftershocks in the past day.
Luis Gerardo Caldera, Zulia’s governor, said on social media that the authorities were assessing the damage, including at the church of Santa Bárbara in Maracaibo.
Images and videos on social media appeared to show that the earthquakes had damaged buildings and roads, and prompted people to evacuate their homes in Zulia.
Strong shaking was felt in part of Colombia, according to Mayor Fico Gutiérrez of Medellín, a northwestern Colombian city about 400 miles from the quakes’ epicenters. He said there were no immediate reports of damage.
Mayor Jaime Andrés Beltrán of Bucaramanga, a north-central Colombian city, said on social media that he had placed the authorities on high-level alert in case rescues were needed.
John Yoon is a Times reporter based in Seoul who covers breaking and trending news.
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