Powerful Quake Hits Venezuela Coast, Damage Limited

Venezuelan Civil Protection members talk in the surrounding area of a skyscraper known as the "Tower of David" after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela August 21, 2018. REUTERS/Adriana Loureiro

CARACAS—A major earthquake of magnitude 7.3 struck Venezuela’s eastern coast, home to largely poor fishing communities, on Aug. 21, shaking buildings as far away as Colombian capital Bogota and knocking power out in parts of Trinidad.

But the quake’s depth—76.5 miles below the surface —appeared to have mitigated the damage.