A major earthquake of magnitude 7.3 struck the northern coast of Venezuela on Tuesday and shook buildings as far away as the capital, Caracas, the US Geological Survey said.

Cell phone footage from Reuters showed people in a supermarket reacting to the tremor as items fell from store shelves in the city of Puerto Ordaz.

In Caracas, framed pictures hung on office walls swayed as the quake shook buildings.

The quake was centered near the town of Carupano, an area of poor fishing communities and was felt as far away as neighbouring Colombia to the east and nearby island nations like Trinidad and Tobago, and St. Lucia, to the west and north.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, Venezuelan Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said in an internet broadcast.

The US Pacific Tsunami Center said the quake could cause small tsunami waves along the coast near the epicentre, 23 miles (37 km) southwest of the town of Carupano.

USGS Geophysicist Jessica Turner said the quake's depth, 76.5 miles (123.11 km) below the surface, would dampen some of the shaking but not enough to prevent damage.