Earthquake hits near Merida in Venezuela, felt in Colombia

TEMBLOR: A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 has struck western Venezuela, with shaking felt in cities such as Merida, El Vigia, San Cristobal, and Barinas, officials say. It was also felt in parts of Colombia.

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The earthquake, which struck at 1:54 a.m. local time on Saturday, was centered about 60 kilometers southwest of Merida, or 82 kilometers northeast of San Cristobal. It struck at a depth of about 5 kilometers, making it a very shallow earthquake.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Colombia's seismological service put the preliminary magnitude of the early-morning earthquake at 5.3, while Venezuela's seismological agency FUNVISIS put the magnitude slightly lower, at 4.8.
There was no immediate word on damage or casualties, but people across the region reported fleeing the earthquake, waking up many people who had gone to sleep. Shaking was reported in cities such as Merida, El Vigia, San Cristobal, Barinas, and across the border in Colombia, including in Cúcuta.

Magnitude

	mb 5.1
Region	MERIDA, VENEZUELA
Date time	2017-11-18 05:54:58.6 UTC
Location	8.36 N ; 71.77 W
Depth	40 km
Distances	252 km S of Maracaibo, Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of / pop: 2,225,000 / local time: 01:54:58.6 2017-11-18 74 km W of Mérida, Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of / pop: 300,000 / local time: 01:54:58.6 2017-11-18 31 km SW of El Vigía, Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of / pop: 59,100 / local time: 01:54:58.6 2017-11-18

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