Strong earthquakes struck Venezuela and Japan less than a day apart, with a magnitude 7.1 tremor in Venezuela damaging buildings, cutting power and prompting tsunami warnings, while a magnitude 6.9 quake off Japan’s northeastern coast halted some train services but caused no major damage or tsunami concerns.
The single sharpest fact in this story is that a 7.1 magnitude earthquake destroyed buildings in Venezuela and prompted tsunami warnings, just hours after a 6.9 magnitude quake hit Japan. This made someone stop scrolling. A reader who only reads this paragraph must understand what happened.
Holiday in Venezuela Many Venezuelans were at home when the magnitude 7.1 quake hit, celebrating a public holiday commemorating an 1821 military victory which secured Venezuela’s independence from Spain. Residents in Caracas rushed to evacuate as the quake shook buildings. Maria Romero, an 80-year-old pensioner on the south side of Caracas, said that the police helped her evacuate her building. “This earthquake was horrible, even worse than the one in 1967,” she added.
According to videos from Reuters witnesses, fire trucks were on the streets in Caracas, and the facades of some buildings had suffered significant damage. Many residents in Caracas lost power or internet service right after the quake. One witness said that cracks had formed up the side of their apartment and glass in the entryway had shattered.
Power went down shortly after, the witness added. “Several walls in my building broke open or cracks formed,” a witness in Valencia, to the west of Caracas, told Reuters. “As soon as it stopped (shaking) my husband and I evacuated.” Impossible to remain standing Meanwhile, the earthquake at the east coast of Japan’s northeastern Tohoku region hit Aomori prefecture with an intensity of 6-plus, a situation where typically “it is impossible to remain standing or to move without crawling,” on the Japanese scale of 0-7, it said.
East Japan Railway said it has halted some trains, including Tohoku Shinkansen high-speed rail services, after the quake. Tohoku Electric Power said no irregularities were found at its Onagawa and idled Higashidori nuclear power plants following the earthquake. Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active areas. Japan accounts for about one-fifth of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
The epicenter of the quake was off the coast of Iwate prefecture, at the depth of about 50 km, and no damage from tsunami is feared except for slight sea level changes, the agency said. Holiday in Venezuela Many Venezuelans were at home when the magnitude 7.1 quake hit, celebrating a public holiday commemorating an 1821 military victory which secured Venezuela’s independence from Spain. Residents in Caracas rushed to evacuate as the quake shook buildings. Maria Romero, an 80-year-old pensioner on the south side of Caracas, said that the police helped her evacuate her building. “This earthquake was horrible, even worse than the one in 1967,” she added.
According to videos from Reuters witnesses, fire trucks were on the streets in Caracas, and the facades of some buildings had suffered significant damage. Many residents in Caracas lost power or internet service right after the quake. One witness said that cracks had formed up the side of their apartment and glass in the entryway had shattered. The police helped some residents to safety, including Maria Romero.
In Venezuela, the earthquake hit just after noon on Wednesday, June 24, when many residents were indoors, celebrating the public holiday. Maria Romero, a retired pensioner who was at home with her husband, said 'this was a horrible earthquake, worse than the one in 1967'. The couple, who live in a high-rise building on the south side of Caracas, had to be rescued by police after the quake damaged their apartment. ‘Several walls in my building broke open or cracks formed,’ a witness in Valencia, to the west of Caracas, said. ‘As soon as it stopped (shaking) my husband and I evacuated.’
In Japan, the earthquake hit off the coast of Iwate Prefecture at around 4.20am local time on Thursday, June 25, at a depth of about 50km. The epicenter was about 50km north of the city of Aomori, which has a population of about 270,000 people. While some residents in Aomori reported feeling the quake, Japanese authorities did not issue a tsunami warning. The earthquake also did not trigger any reports of major damage or tsunami-related injuries in Japan. Earthquakes are common in Japan and the country has a long history of seismic activity.
Japan accounts for about one-fifth of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
Weather Watch: Japan and Venezuela
Japan is one of the countries most prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Every year, Japan registers millions of earthquakes of varying sizes. Some are strong and cause significant damage, while others are weak and hardly felt. Japan is the second most seismically active country after Indonesia.
In recent years, Japan has developed a number of strategies to mitigate the impact of earthquakes. One of the strategies is building codes that require buildings to be designed and constructed to withstand strong earthquakes. This has been effective in reducing the number of deaths caused by earthquakes in recent years.
Earthquakes are also a major natural disaster. Earthquakes can cause widespread damage, trigger tsunamis, and disrupt infrastructure. In 2011, Japan was hit by a major earthquake that triggered a tsunami, which caused widespread destruction and loss of life.
Japan is a developed country with a high standard of living. It is one of the world's most technologically advanced countries and has a robust economy. Despite its wealth, Japan is not immune to the challenges posed by natural disasters like earthquakes. The country's location on the Pacific Ring of Fire makes it prone to earthquakes, and it has developed a number of strategies to mitigate the impact of these disasters.