A state of emergency has been introduced in the country.
Video screenshot
On Wednesday evening, two powerful underground tremors of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 occurred west of the Venezuelan capital. As a result, buildings collapsed in Caracas, and specialists predict a large number of casualties, writes the BBC.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the second earthquake occurred less than a minute after the first.
"Significant human losses and widespread destruction are likely, and the disaster is likely to be large-scale," the USGS stated, noting that, according to preliminary estimates,
the death toll could range from 10,000 to 100,000 people.
Authorities have not yet provided estimates of the number of dead and injured.
"Some buildings have collapsed in Caracas," said Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello on state television.
Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez announced the introduction of a state of emergency. She also reported the closure of Caracas International Airport due to damage sustained from the earthquake.
Many Venezuelans were at home during the earthquake.
On this day, the country was celebrating the anniversary of the Battle of Carabobo, when Simón Bolívar's army defeated Spanish forces and secured Venezuela's independence.
Many residents of Caracas who ran out into the streets recalled the previous devastating earthquake of 1967. At that time, the country's capital was most affected. Residential buildings collapsed in two areas of the city – Palos Grandes and Altamira. In total, over 200 people died then.
Diosdado Cabello specifically mentioned these two districts when speaking about the destroyed buildings. According to him, the earthquake was also felt in the states of Trujillo, Yaracuy, Carabobo, Aragua, Miranda, and La Guaira.
80-year-old retiree Maria Romero from the southern part of Caracas said that the police helped her get out of her home.
"This earthquake was terrible, even worse than in 1967," she added.
The American tsunami warning system issued a tsunami threat message for Puerto Rico and the US and British Virgin Islands after the earthquake.
It was also reported that a high wave could affect islands near the coast of Venezuela – Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire. However, this warning was canceled approximately an hour later.
A state of emergency was introduced in Venezuela after the earthquake.
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