A strong earthquake shook north-central Venezuela on Wednesday afternoon, west of Caracas, with residents in neighbouring Colombia also reporting feeling tremors.
The earthquake registered at a magnitude 7.1 in Venezuela, about an hour west of the city Valencia at a depth of 13km (8 miles), according to the US Geological Survey.
A second powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 struck shortly after. The US Geological Survey said the second quake had a depth of 10km and its epicentre was 16km (10 miles) south-west of Morón.
Many Venezuelans were at home when the first quake hit, celebrating a public holiday commemorating an 1821 military victory which secured Venezuela’s independence from Spain.
Residents in Caracas rushed to evacuate as the quake shook buildings.
Maria Romero, an 80-year-old pensioner on the south side of Caracas, said that the police helped her evacuate her building. “This earthquake was horrible, even worse than the one in 1967,” she added.
According to videos from Reuters witnesses, fire trucks were on the streets in Caracas, and the facades of some buildings had suffered significant damage.
Many residents in Caracas lost power or internet service right after the quake.
One witness said that cracks had formed up the side of their apartment and glass in the entryway had shattered. Power went down shortly after, the witness added.
“Several walls in my building broke open or cracks formed,” a witness in Valencia, to the west of Caracas, told Reuters. “As soon as it stopped [shaking] my husband and I evacuated.”
The interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, said the quake could be felt in several states, adding that the Altamira neighbourhood in Caracas had “alarming situations” with collapsed homes and buildings.
He urged people to remain outside as aftershocks could further damage some structures.
He also suggested people were injured in the earthquake, asking motorists to clear to give way to ambulances and other emergency vehicles.
“We understand that some people may be desperate, but we are acting according to protocols to activate aid and rescue efforts to help those who need it most,” Cabello said on state television. “Be very careful with children and the elderly; call each other and check that no one has been harmed.”
The US Tsunami Warning System issued and later cancelled a tsunami threat for Puerto Rico and the US and the British Virgin Islands after the earthquake.
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake also struck northern Japan on Thursday.
There were no immediate reports of major damage.
The quake occurred off the northern region of Iwate, with the depth of the epicentre at 50km, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
With Reuters and Agence France-Presse