Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: At least 164 people were killed and around 971 injured in Venezuela after two back-to-back powerful earthquakes rocked the country on June 24 evening. A state of emergency was announced after the twin quakes and about a dozen aftershocks jolted many states, collapsing several buildings in the capital city of Caracas and elsewhere.
The first quake was of a magnitude of 7.1, and its epicentre was west of the community of Moron, about 168 km west of Caracas, at a depth of 13 km, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
An even larger 7.5-magnitude earthquake took place just minutes later. This second one was situated at a depth of 10 km, and its epicentre was 16 km southwest of Moron. Swaying buildings in Caracas were evacuated.
Entire walls of certain buildings collapsed, making furniture visible from the street. Tsunami alerts were issued for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Meanwhile, World leaders, including US President Donald Trump, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and others have offered their support to Venezuela and condolences to the families of those who died in the twin earthquakes.
Meanwhile, another earthquake of magnitude 7 hit Japan, jolting Hashikami Town, Aomori Prefecture. Its epicenter was off the coast of Iwate Prefecture. Following this, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi advised citizens to stay vigilant and instructed relevant agencies to give out timely and accurate information to the public regarding evacuation and damage. However, she ruled out any concerns about a tsunami.
