Venezuela earthquake: powerful back-to-back quakes collapse buildings in capital Caracas | Venezuela

A strong earthquake shook northern central Venezuela west of Caracas on Wednesday afternoon; Residents in neighboring Colombia also reported feeling tremors.

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake was recorded at a depth of 13 km (8 miles) about an hour west of the city of Valencia in Venezuela, according to the US Geological Survey.

Shortly after, a second earthquake of magnitude 7.5 occurred. The US Geological Survey said the depth of the second earthquake was 10 kilometers and the epicenter was 16 kilometers southwest of Morón.

When the first earthquake struck, many Venezuelans were at home celebrating a public holiday commemorating the 1821 military victory that secured Venezuela’s independence from Spain.

After the earthquake shook the buildings, Caracas residents rushed to evacuate.

Maria Romero, an 80-year-old retiree who lives on the south side of Caracas, said she “helped the police evacuate the building.” “This earthquake was terrible, even worse than the earthquake in 1967,” he added.

According to videos from Reuters eyewitnesses, fire trucks were on the streets in Caracas and the facades of some buildings were seriously damaged.

Immediately after the earthquake, many people living in Caracas lost electricity or internet service.

An eyewitness said cracks appeared on the side of their flat and the glass at the entrance was broken. The witness added that the electricity was cut off shortly afterwards.

“Some of the walls of my building were broken or cracked,” an eyewitness living in Valencia, west of Caracas, told Reuters. “As soon as it stops [shaking] My husband and I were evacuated.”

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello stated that the earthquake was felt in many states, adding that “alarming situations” were experienced with the collapse of houses and buildings in the Altamira neighborhood of Caracas.

He urged the public to stay outside on the grounds that aftershocks could further damage some structures.

He also claimed that people were injured in the earthquake and asked drivers 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 mobilize relief and rescue efforts to help those most in need,” Cabello said on state television. “Be very careful of children and the elderly, call each other and check that no one is hurt.”

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System issued and later rescinded the tsunami threat for Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands following the earthquake.

A 6.9 magnitude earthquake also occurred in northern Japan on Thursday.

There were no immediate reports of major damage.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the earthquake occurred off the coast of northern Iwate prefecture, with the epicenter at a depth of 50 kilometers.

With Reuters and Agence France-Presse