Magnitude 7.1 quake topples Caracas buildings as USGS warns of high Venezuela casualties
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck north-central Venezuela on Wednesday, collapsing buildings in Caracas. The USGS issued a red alert warning of high casualties and economic losses of 1-4% of Venezuelan GDP.
Summary:
- A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck approximately 24 kilometres east-northeast of San Felipe and around 160 kilometres west of Caracas at 22:04 UTC on Wednesday, at a depth of 13 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey
- The USGS PAGER system issued a red alert for both shaking-related fatalities and economic losses, stating that high casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread, per the USGS
- Estimated economic losses are 1-4% of Venezuelan GDP, and the PAGER report noted that past red alerts have required national or international response, per the USGS
- Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television that buildings and houses had collapsed in Caracas, though no immediate casualty figures were provided, per Reuters
- The US Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami threat for Puerto Rico, the US and British Virgin Islands, and the islands of Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire before withdrawing the warning within approximately one hour, per Reuters and CNN
- CNN reported a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 with a 7.2 foreshock occurring 40 seconds earlier, and noted the epicentre is close to some of Venezuela's largest oil refineries, per CNN
- The USGS PAGER document identified San Felipe with a population of 221,000 as experiencing the most severe shaking at Modified Mercalli Intensity VIII, with Valencia, population 1.484 million, exposed to MMI VI shaking, per the USGS
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck north-central Venezuela on Wednesday afternoon, collapsing buildings in the capital Caracas and triggering a red alert from the US Geological Survey warning of probable high casualties and widespread damage across a region home to millions of people.
The quake hit at 22:04 UTC, centred approximately 24 kilometres east-northeast of San Felipe and around 160 kilometres west of Caracas, at a shallow depth of 13 kilometres. The USGS PAGER system, which assesses disaster impact, estimated economic losses at between 1% and 4% of Venezuelan GDP and noted that past events triggering the same red alert threshold have required national or international emergency response. The predominant building types in the affected region are unreinforced brick masonry and adobe block construction, which the PAGER report identified as particularly vulnerable to shaking of this intensity.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed on state television that buildings and houses had collapsed in Caracas, though no casualty figures were immediately available. Emergency workers were filmed climbing through the ruins of at least one collapsed structure in the capital as darkness fell. Many residents were at home when the quake struck, it being a public holiday marking Venezuela's 1821 independence victory. A tsunami warning covering Puerto Rico, the US and British Virgin Islands and the ABC islands off Venezuela's coast was issued and subsequently withdrawn within approximately an hour. CNN reported a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 with a 7.2 foreshock striking 40 seconds before the main event, and noted the epicentre lies close to some of Venezuela's largest oil refining facilities.
This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.提供 MainLink：Investinglive RSS Breaking News Feed
FX初心者には必須 無料のうちにGET！
