Quake rattles Caracas

? An earthquake shook Venezuela’s capital and nearby states Saturday, injuring 14 people and causing damage to a few buildings.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 for the quake, saying the epicenter was off Venezuela’s Caribbean coast 65 miles west of Caracas. The head of Venezuela’s seismological agency, Francisco Garces, put the quake at magnitude 6.2, followed by an aftershock registering 4.0.

Two young people, ages 9 and 26, suffered serious leg injuries, and 12 other people had minor injuries, Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami said.

El Aissami said western Falcon state reported the most structural problems, with seven houses and two other buildings damaged. Two houses were reported damaged in neighboring Lara state, where the wall of a medical clinic also collapsed, state civil protection director Hector Vargas told the state-run Bolivarian News Agency.