7.1 magnitude quake off Venezuela triggers Caribbean tsunami warning

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck off Venezuela’s north-central coast Wednesday evening, jolting Caracas and prompting a Caribbean tsunami threat message. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered 28 kilometers northwest of Montalbán at a depth of 13.2 kilometers, with the origin time listed at 6:04:32 p.m. local time.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning Centers issued a Caribbean tsunami threat message shortly after the shaking, listing potential threats for Venezuela, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. Tsunami advisories were also reported for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as forecasters watched the coastline for wave impacts tied to the offshore event.

In Caracas, residents rushed outdoors as buildings swayed, and tremors were felt across neighboring Colombia. Early reports indicated possible damage in and around Venezuela’s capital and in northern parts of the country, though officials were still working through damage and casualty checks as the evening unfolded.

The quake’s location placed it in a region where offshore earthquakes can generate dangerous sea waves, particularly along Venezuela’s north-central coast and across the Caribbean basin. That geography made the warning period especially important for coastal communities, where even a brief delay can determine whether people reach higher ground before a wave arrives.

The event tested how quickly alerts could move across a densely populated stretch of the Caribbean. The warning center’s initial threat message covered multiple islands and coastal areas, while residents from Caracas to parts of Colombia felt the shaking first-hand, underscoring how a single offshore rupture can ripple through several countries at once.

As crews and emergency officials assessed the scene, attention turned to aftershocks, structural damage and the status of vulnerable coastal neighborhoods near the epicenter. The combination of a shallow depth, a strong magnitude and the quake’s position near the coast left authorities focused on whether the sea would respond as forcefully as the land did.