In brief
- Rescue efforts are underway after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela.
- Images and videos show rescuers searching in the rubble of collapsed buildings .
Strong earthquakes struck west of Venezuela's capital on Thursday, bringing down buildings in Caracas, trapping people in the rubble and prompting scientists to warn of potentially heavy casualties and widespread destruction across the South American country.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160km west of Caracas, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
"High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread," the USGS said, initially estimating the number of people killed would most likely range from 10,000 to 100,000.
Authorities did not immediately provide a national toll for deaths or injuries, but local officials and witnesses reported collapsed buildings, rescues and a growing number of injured.
"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."
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Video footage showed emergency workers climbing through the ruins of a collapsed building in the capital as night fell, while distraught relatives sought help for loved ones believed to be trapped.
In Chacao, an eastern Caracas municipality, mayor Gustavo Duque told broadcaster Globovision that two structures had collapsed, 16 people were injured and there were deaths, though he gave no figure for fatalities.
"We're going to do everything we can to rescue the most people possible," he said.
Fire trucks were seen on the streets of Caracas, where some buildings suffered significant facade damage.
At Caracas' Hospital de Clinicas, staff were asked to double up on the night shift to help treat the injured, a worker there said. Video filmed at the hospital showed a darkened hallway with ceiling panels hanging by cables and pieces of plaster scattered across the floor.
Other videos on social media appeared to show significant damage at Venezuela's main airport, while residents reported collapsed buildings in La Guaira, a coastal city near Caracas. Reuters could not immediately verify the footage from the airport and La Guaira.
Some municipalities of Caracas cancelled classes and local events as authorities began to take stock of the damage.
Venezuela lies in a seismically active zone where the Caribbean Plate meets the South American Plate. An estimated 30,000 people were killed when a powerful quake caused widespread destruction in the cities of Merida and Caracas in 1812, according to the USGS.
'I've never experienced anything like it'
Many Venezuelans were at home when the quakes hit, celebrating a public holiday commemorating an 1821 military victory which secured Venezuela's independence from Spain.
"As soon as it started, we began hearing people screaming," Astrid Ramirez, a 41-year-old publicist in western Caracas, said. "Everyone was running down the stairs."
Residents in the capital, which was also rocked by a deadly magnitude 6.3 earthquake in 1967, rushed to evacuate as the quake shook buildings.
"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 on the south side of Caracas, said that the police helped her get out. "This earthquake was horrible, even worse than the one in 1967," she added.
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez has been running the country since the US seizing of President Nicolas Maduro in January. She has hailed a new era of cooperation with the US and other countries, especially on oil, mining and other industries.
The US embassy in Caracas said it was closely monitoring the aftermath of the quake and urged citizens in the country to seek secure shelter and avoid damaged areas.
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