5.3 Earthquake Jolts Venezuelan Coastal Region

Residents of the Caracas and the surrounding area were sent running from their homes and into the rain when an earthquake shook the area before dawn on Monday morning. The quake was 5.3 magnitude, with the epicenter 25 miles south of Caracas and at a depth of 6.2 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was the second tremor to hit Venezuela in recent weeks.

Thankfully, there were no reports of damage or casualties. "Fortunately, we have not yet received any reports of material or structural damage," Interior Minister Tareck El Aissami said on state television. "Residents who are in the street should return to their homes."

The last big earthquake to hit Caracas took place in 1967 and killed 240 people.