A strong earthquake has struck off the coast of Venezuela, knocking out power in the capital and sending people rushing into the streets. The 6.4-magnitude quake’s epicentre was 65 miles (110km) west of Caracas, at a depth of 6.2 miles (10km).

Earlier this month, on the same day that a law was passed sanctioning the nationalization of companies working in Venezuela that provide services to the oil industry, troops began seizing installations belonging to foreign firms on the oil-rich Lake...