President Nicolás Maduro ordered the activation of the National Risk Management System throughout the country to address a seismic swarm recorded in the western part of the country in recent hours. The measure was taken following a series of medium- and strong-intensity earthquakes that occurred since Wednesday afternoon.
This was reported by Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who detailed that 10 earthquakes and 21 aftershocks have been registered. According to the Venezuelan Foundation for Seismological Research (Funvisis), this activity was caused by the activation of a tectonic fault in the western region:
“The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, has been in coordination with all the country’s governors and mayors involved, and we can say that no human losses have been reported,” the senior official reported.
One of the most significant earthquakes occurred near Bachaquero, in Zulia state, with a magnitude of 6.0 and a depth of 16.4 kilometers. Authorities confirmed that, fortunately, no human losses have been reported as a result of these events.
However, the Governor of Zulia state, Luis Caldera, reported material damage to various infrastructures. Hospitals, churches, and bridges are among the structures affected by the quakes.
President Nicolás Maduro maintained coordination with governors and mayors of the affected areas. As part of the response, the Civil Protection System, security agencies, and the Bolivarian National Armed Forces were deployed.
The vice president called on the population to remain calm and alert for possible further aftershocks: «We have activated a risk prevention and management system, and from there we monitor what may happen with the activity of this tectonic fault,» he explained.
The seismic swarm was also felt in some Colombian departments, according to reports.