World Bulletin / News Desk

The tremor was an added headache for a country whose economy is unraveling amid hyperinflation and widespread grassroots anger with the leftist government.

Jose Nevada, 35, from the eastern Delta Amacuro state, said the tremor was very strong there.

"People ran out into the streets, many stayed there and in some places the lights went out," he told AFP by telephone.

The tremor was felt for several seconds some 400 kilometers (250 miles) away in the capital Caracas, notably in tall buildings. Many were evacuated for fears of aftershocks or lasting structural damage.

People gathered in streets, plazas and parks -- any place to get away from buildings -- and hugged each other. They tried desperately to make calls with cell phones but service was disrupted for a while.

Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said the prolonged quake was felt in several states but that "for now, there are no reports of victims."

Some buildings suffered structural damage, he told state TV.