A powerful earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale struck western and northern Venezuela on Wednesday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Authorities said there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.

The quake’s epicenter was recorded at a depth of 14 kilometers, about 27 kilometers from the oil town of Mene Grande in Zulia state, USGS said. Mene Grande lies nearly 600 kilometers west of Caracas in a sparsely populated region.

The Colombian Geological Survey recorded the tremor at 6.1 magnitude, describing it as a “shallow depth" quake centered near Mene Grande. The shaking was felt beyond Venezuela, reaching parts of Colombia and the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire, according to a report by the Deutsch Welle .

Hours later

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