Two powerful earthquakes jolted Venezuela just west of Caracas, ripping at buildings in the capital and prompting scientists to warn that the country could be facing heavy casualties and broad destruction.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck about 160 km west of Caracas, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, followed less than a minute later by a stronger magnitude 7.5 tremor.
“High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” the USGS said, initially estimating the death toll would most likely range from 10,000 to 100,000.
Buildings were damaged in the capital Caracas
Officials did not immediately release an official count of deaths or injuries.
“We have buildings, homes and houses which have collapsed and we are taking care of things with everything we have available in terms of security, civil assistance,” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television.
“The fire department, police all have been activated.”
As night fell, video footage showed emergency crews clambering over the rubble of a collapsed building in Caracas while anguished relatives searched for information and pleaded for help for loved ones.
Damage in, around the capital
Fire trucks rolled through Caracas streets as residents surveyed damage that in places left building facades visibly battered.
Footage recorded at the Hospital de Clinicas Caracas showed a dim corridor where ceiling panels dangled by cables and broken plaster littered the floor.
Other videos posted to social media appeared to show serious damage at Venezuela’s main airport, and residents reported collapsed buildings in La Guaira, the coastal city near Caracas.
Reuters could not immediately verify the footage from the airport and La Guaira.
The National Assembly told lawmakers in a message that it had cancelled today’s session.
Last night, state television ran back-to-back promotions for its own programming for more than an hour, cutting away only for remarks from Mr Cabello, who phoned in.
Tsunami alert withdrawn
The US Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami threat for Puerto Rico and the US and British Virgin Islands following the quake, and said dangerous waves could also reach Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire.
About an hour later, the warning was withdrawn.
Venezuela sits in a seismically active region where the Caribbean Plate meets the South American Plate.
The USGS notes that a devastating earthquake in March 1812 killed an estimated 30,000 people and caused widespread destruction in the cities of Merida and Caracas.
Residents rush into the streets
Many people were at home when the quakes hit on a public holiday commemorating an 1821 military victory that helped win Venezuela’s independence from Spain.
“As soon as it started, we began hearing people screaming,” said Astrid Ramirez, a 41-year-old publicist in western Caracas. “Everyone was running down the stairs.”
People ran to escape buildings following the earthquake near Caracas
Across Caracas — a city that also endured a deadly magnitude 6.3 earthquake in 1967 — residents spilled into the streets as buildings shuddered.
“There was a very loud crash. Things fell in the house, jugs inside the refrigerator. I’ve never experienced anything like it,” said Coro Martinez, 56, who lives in eastern Caracas.
Maria Romero, an 80-year-old pensioner in southern Caracas, said police officers helped her out of her home.
“This earthquake was horrible, even worse than the one in 1967,” she said.
Another resident, a 41-year-old office worker who asked not to be identified, said an earthquake alert sounded on her phone moments before the shaking intensified.
“It was a normal afternoon, and suddenly my phone sounded an earthquake alert,” she said.
“As I picked it up and started listening to what it was saying, I first felt light shaking. Then, in less than two seconds, everything started moving.”
