An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 shook a rural area in the northwest of the US state of California on Wednesday. the US Geological Survey said. The strongest earthquake in this region since 1940, according to the authorities claimed several injuries. They did not report any major damage. TASR informs about it based on the report of the AP agency.
- A magnitude 5.6 earthquake has hit northwest California, with several injured.
- The tremors in California caused power outages for more than six thousand residents of the region.
- Venezuela experienced two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 in one minute.
- The estimated number of victims in Venezuela ranges between ten thousand and one hundred thousand.
- A magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit northern Japan with no casualties or damage reported.
The earthquake’s epicenter was in an area of Mendocino County that is dotted with small farming towns. The area lies approximately 225 kilometers northeast of San Francisco. Hospitals reported several injured people, according to the authorities. Details on the nature or extent of the injuries are not known.
According to the USGC, the tremors were felt by people across the region and led to power outages, which affected more than 6,000 residents of six towns near the epicenter. People were invited to they avoided highways and roads and allowed the passage of workers to inspect the damage and make the necessary repairs.
“It was almost like something had crashed into the building,” Brie Leon, who had just opened a restaurant with her colleagues, described the earthquake when the building began to shake. “Earthquakes do happen in this area, but they’re usually weaker than this,” noted Californian seismologist Lucy Jones. According to her, it was the strongest earthquake in almost nine decades.
Venezuela was hit by two strong earthquakes within one minute on Wednesday evening local time, the American Geological Service USGS informed. Tremors were felt in several places, including the Venezuelan capital Caracas, as well as in neighboring Colombia. The number of victims and the extent of damage are estimated to be enormous, writes TASR on the basis of agencies AFP, AP and Reuters.
The epicenter of the first earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 was located about 160 kilometers west of Caracas. The country was hit on Thursday at 00:04 CET. Approximately 39 seconds later, Venezuela was also hit the second earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5, confirmed by the USGS.
“There is likely to be a large number of casualties and widespread damage, and this disaster is likely to have a widespread impact,” the USGS said. According to the agency, the preliminary estimate of the number of dead is between 10,000 and 100,000. The authorities have not yet provided specific figures on possible victims or injured. “Some buildings (in Caracas) collapsed, houses collapsed,” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) issued tsunami warnings for both the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, which was subsequently cancelled. The AP reported that authorities in the Dominican Republic have also issued warnings.
According to AFP reporters, the earthquakes caused panic in Caracas. The agency reported after the first earthquake that tremors were also felt in the Colombian capital Bogota, where warnings were sounded and some residents left buildings as a precaution, in which they were located.
Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez has declared a state of emergency following two strong earthquakes and more than 20 aftershocks. which hit the country shortly after midnight SELČ. TASR informs about it according to the agencies AFP, Reuters and DPA.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed shortly after the earthquakes that several buildings collapsed in the metropolis of Caracas. According to him, the states of Trujillo, Carabobo, Miranda and La Guaira were the most affected.
Rodríguez in her short speech on state television she described the situation as serious. She also announced that the tremors also caused serious damage to Simón Bolívar International Airport, which was closed as a result.
However, the interim president of Venezuela did not provide details about the extent of the damage or about the possible victims and only stated that priority is given to rescue operations. She called on residents to “keep calm”, the AP agency reported.
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit northern Japan on Thursday, the local meteorological agency said. According to her, there was no tsunami warning issued. Authorities have not yet reported any casualties or major damage. informs TASR on the basis of the AFP agency.
The earthquake occurred off the northern coast of Iwate Prefecture at a depth of 50 kilometers, confirmed the Japanese Meteorological Agency. According to The Japan Times, moderate tremors were also felt in Tokyo.
“Currently, we do not have any information that would indicate casualties, but we will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation in connection with the damage,” said government spokesman Minoru Kihara.
Japan is among the most seismically active countries in the world, as it lies on four main tectonic plates along the western edge of the so-called The ring of fire. Hundreds of earthquakes hit the country every year, AFP explains.
