Footage shows people rushing from buildings and gathering in the streets after two powerful earthquakes shook northern Venezuela on Wednesday afternoon.
Damaged facades, fallen cladding, shattered windows and evacuations from offices, shopping centres and residential buildings can also be seen.
The tremors were reportedly felt in Caracas, Miranda, La Guaira, Aragua, Carabobo and other parts of north-central Venezuela, where emergency teams were sent to assess damaged buildings and respond to reports of collapses.
The US Geological Survey reported two major earthquakes within seconds of each other, first a magnitude 7.2 tremor, followed by a stronger magnitude 7.5 quake. Both struck near Yumare, close to the Montalban-Moron area, at shallow depths.
Authorities said the shallow depth helped explain why the shaking was felt so intensely in Caracas and surrounding states.
“An earthquake, because calling it a tremor does not do it justice; it lasted many seconds, I would say more than a minute, and it was very strong. I live on a low floor, and you could really feel the rubble falling through the bathroom duct; I mean, it was the strongest thing I have seen in my 43 years,” a resident said.
Venezuela’s seismological agency, FUNVISIS, activated its monitoring protocols and urged people to follow official updates, as aftershocks remained possible.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said emergency situations had been reported in Caracas, Miranda, Aragua, Carabobo, Trujillo and La Guaira.
Authorities have warned residents not to return to damaged buildings until they have been assessed.
The quakes left parts of the country on edge, with rescue teams checking structures, residents staying outside and officials warning that the full scale of the damage is still being assessed.
Source: Viory
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