7.3-magnitude earthquake hits northern Venezuela's northern coast

A Venezuelan woman filmed from inside here ninth-floor apartment in Maracay as a 7.3 magnitude earthquake rattled much of the South American country.

The tremor which was centered on Venezuela's coast shook buildings in Caracas and was felt as far away as Trinidad and Tobago and Colombian capital Bogota. Venezuelan officials said there were no immediate reports of injuries.

But fretful Venezuelans with relatives close to the epicenter said they were struggling to contact their family members due to shaky phone lines.

And Venezuela is not in good shape to deal with a natural disaster. It is already wrestling with a crippling economic crisis - medicine is running short, hospitals are barely functioning and there are severe shortages of basics like chicken and milk.

The tremor - one of the country's strongest ever - hit at 5.31 p.m. (2131 GMT). Along Venezuela's picturesque palm tree-dotted northern coast, residents said the long quake was terrifying and led people to dash into the streets.

The governor of Sucre told state television that so far there were no reports of deaths or major damage. He called for calm.

The Information Ministry did not respond to a request for comment for additional information. United States Geological Survey geophysicist Jessica Turner said the quake's depth, 76.5 miles (123 km) below the surface, would have dampened some of the shaking.

SS