According to the US Geological Survey, the epicentre of the quake was located at a depth of 7.8km (4.8 miles) some 24km (15 miles) from Mene Grande, an oil town in a sparsely populated area of the state of Zulia.

The Colombian Geological Survey measured the tremor at 6.1 and categorised it as a “shallow depth” event also felt in Colombia and in the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire.

In Venezuela, where strong tremors are not common, the quake caused alarm in cities including Caracas and the western petro city of Maracaibo.

People streamed out on the streets, but there have been no official reports of major damage or injuries.

The government has yet to make any announcement on the event.

In July 1997, 73 people died when a quake hit Cariaco in Venezuela’s eastern state of Sucre, and nearly 300 were killed and 2,000 injured when Caracas was hit by a tremor in July 1967.