Aftershock rattles Venezuela

Source: Xinhua| 2018-08-23 07:58:12|Editor: zh
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CARACAS, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- A day after a strong 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit northern Venezuela, the same area was jolted on Wednesday by an aftershock measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale.

The second quake struck at 9:27 a.m. local time 9 kilometers northeast of the coastal town of Yaguaraparo, in Sucre state, according to the Venezuelan Seismological Research Foundation (Funvisis).

As a precaution, the national disaster management system was activated, Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said.

"There have been no reports of damage," he said via Twitter.

Tuesday's quake occurred at 5:31 p.m. local time, with the epicenter located 19 km southeast of Yaguaraparo.

No casualties were reported but the quake was felt across six states and the capital Caracas, as well as in neighboring Colombia and the nearby Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago, which also felt the aftershock.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, which monitors earthquake activity around the globe, it was the strongest quake to hit Venezuela since 1900. Its depth of more than 123 km below ground appears to have limited the impact.

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