November 7, 2015 Earthquake: Merida, Venezuela

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck mountainous western Venezuela in the early hours of Saturday, knocking out power in some areas, damaging some buildings and triggering rockfalls that killed one man, authorities said. The quake's epicenter was about 27 km (17 miles) from the city of Merida near the Colombian border, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. It struck at 02:28 a.m. (06:58 a.m. GMT). Some 12 aftershocks hit the area on Saturday morning, authorities added. "We lament the death of Edgardo Salas, a state government employee, following a rock collapse due to the quake," Merida Governor Alexis Ramirez said on Twitter, adding that four other people traveling in the car were unharmed. Power was knocked out in certain parts and tunnels were shut in the mountainous area as a preventative measure, Merida's mayor added on Twitter. A church and cemetery in the town of Chiguara suffered structural damage, authorities said. (reference #11295)

The Venezuelan Foundation of Seismological Research (FUNVISIS) announced more than 84 aftershocks have afflicted Venezuela's Andean region since Saturday's 5.1-magnitude quake in Mérida that struck at 2:28 a.m. local time. The temblor affected 142 families: 293 adults, 165 children and 67 elderly... Mérida's Civil Protection Director Gerardo Rojas Gerardo Rojas said 106 homes were evaluated after the quake -- 33 of which will be demolished after sustaining extensive damage, El Universal reported. Rojas said 81 homes were partially damaged and two churches suffered wall cracks, adding the aftershocks are of low or moderate intensity. Civil Protection geographer Nerio Ramírez said most of the damage to houses was found on ceilings, in small sections of the walls where friezes subsided and in some structural columns, adding that some of these homes are made up of mud or adobe bricks used many years ago. (reference #11298)

One person killed and four injured by a rockfall in Merida. Minor damage to buildings at Campo Elias, Chiguara, Mesa de las Palmas, Pinto Salinas, San Jose and Sucre. Felt (V) at Ejido. Also felt at Barquisimeto, El Vigia, Maracaibo, Petare, Trujillo and Villa del Rosario. Felt at Bucaramanga, Cucuta and Piedecuesta, Colombia. El Vigia, Merida, Venezuela - CDI: 5; Ejido, Merida, Venezuela - CDI: 5; Trujillo, Trujillo, Venezuela - CDI: 4; Barquisimeto, Lara, Venezuela - CDI: 4; Piedecuesta, Santander, Colombia - CDI: 3(reference #13456)