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A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake shakes Venezuela's east coast

Rosie Perper,Rosie Perper   

A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake shakes Venezuela's east coast
Defense2 min read

earthquake twitter venexuela

Screenshot/Twitter

The moment a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck a supermarket in Venezuela.

  • A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Venezuela's east coast on Tuesday. 
  • No injuries were immediately reported. 
  • According to US Geological Survey, large earthquakes in the region are rare, and Tuesday's was the largest in over a century.
  • Venezuela is currently in the midst of a financial crisis and is grappling with severe food and medical shortages.


A powerful magntitude 7.3 earthquake struck Venezuela's east coast on Tuesday, shaking houses and sending tremors throughout the Caribbean. 

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake originated 13.5 miles (22 kilometers) from Rio Caribe, a popular fishing spot along Venezuela's coast, at a depth of 76 miles (123 kilometers).

venezuela earthquake map

Google Maps/Business Insider

The quake originated 13.5 miles (22 kilometers) from Rio Caribe, Sucre off the coast of Venezuela.

Tremors were felt near the capital city of Caracas, as well as the Colombian capital of Bogota and across several nearby islands in the Caribbean. No injuries were immediately reported. 

Video circulating online reportedly shows shoppers running towards the exit at a supermarket in the city of Yaguaraparo, located some 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Rio Caribe.

Other video shows homes shaking and light fixtures swinging across homes in Venezuela. Damages were also reported in the nearby island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. 

The US Pacific Tsunami Center canceled warnings of possible tsunamis along the coast near the quake's epicenter.

According to USGS, there have been 17 previous earthquakes with magnitude of over 6 in the region region, though large earthquakes are rare. Tuesdays quake was the largest within 155 miles (250 kilometers) of this location in over a century. 

Oil-rich Venezuela is currently in the midst of a financial crisis, and has announced desperate measures to try to save its economy from collapse.

The country has been has been hit hard by US and EU sanctions, and the country is grappling with severe food and medical shortages.

On Monday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro devalued Venezuela's currency, the bolívar, by a whopping 95%.  and pegged it to the the government's oil-linked cryptocurrency, the petro.

The moves aims to stave off rampant inflation of more than 1 million percent a year, though many predict the move is unlikely to provide a quick fix. 

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