Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela within less than a minute on Wednesday evening, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, shaking the capital Caracas and causing damage in several areas.
The USGS measured the quakes at magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, putting them among the strongest seismic events globally so far this year. The second and stronger quake struck at a shallow depth of around 10 kilometres, raising fears of significant damage and possible casualties.
Rescue teams were searching for possibly trapped people.
In Caracas, buildings collapsed, according to television footage. Social media videos showed damage to buildings, including at Caracas airport. Footage also showed frightened passengers at the airport attempting to reach safety as the ground shook and dust clouds rose.
"We are dealing with an extremely alarming situation," Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on television, adding that some buildings had collapsed and urging residents to take shelter.
The quake was felt in at least seven states, he said, warning that aftershocks were likely and could cause further structural failures in already damaged buildings. Officials also ordered gas supplies to be shut off as a precaution to prevent explosions.
The epicentre of the first quake, which hit at 6:04 pm (2204 GMT), was located 24 kilometres east of San Felipe in north-western Venezuela at a depth of 21.9 kilometres, according to USGS data.
The second, stronger quake struck just a few kilometres further north. More than 400,000 people live in the nearby cities of Puerto Cabello and San Felipe, according to the USGS.
An automatic model calculation by the USGS based on the magnitude of the quake and the proximity of several cities indicated a very high likelihood of significant casualties. The capital Caracas, from where the first images and reports emerged, was not particularly close to the epicentre, but more than 150 kilometres to the east.
Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize laureate and opposition leader María Corina Machado, who is currently not in Venezuela, wrote on X: "My heart, my infinite embrace and my prayers go out in these hours of hardship to every Venezuelan family. May strength, calm and solidarity prevail among us in this difficult time."
