A strong 6.4 magnitude earthquake shook major oil exporter Venezuela on Saturday, causing panic in the capital, Caracas, and injuring at least seven people when houses in the countryside collapsed.
The quake, the strongest in the South American nation in years, hit at about 3.40pm local time. It knocked out power in several regions.
The head of Venezuela's emergency services, Luis Diaz Curbelo, said the quake was felt across the country, but the northwestern state of Falcon was the hardest hit with seven people hurt and some buildings damaged. The US Geological Survey said the epicentre was 36km north-northeast of Puerto Cabello,one of the nation's main oil ports. There was no damage to any oil installations,a source at the state oil company said.
In Caracas several people were slightly hurt when thousands of shoppers stampeded out of one of the city's largest malls. In the countryside, the walls of some houses collapsed.
Residents of apartment blocks gathered in public spaces in case of aftershocks, which were reported in some regions.
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