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The 5.6 quake struck at 4.59am local time (8.59am GMT), at a depth of 6.2 miles. Residents left witness reports on earthquake-tracking website CSEM-EMSC. One said: “Very strong in Valencia, Carabobo.” Another said: “It was so strong the movement of my bed woke me up.”

A third said: “It vibrated the whole house.”

The US Geological Society (USGS) has estimated a relatively high likelihood of fatalities.

Their initial, automated report estimated a 44 percent chance at least one life would be lost, a 27 percent chance the death count could reach 10, and a five percent chance it could top 100. There is a 24 percent chance no lives will be lost.

The USGS also said it was more than likely between 10 and 100 million dollars in damage has been caused, at 55 percent.