Venezuela declared a state of emergency after two powerful earthquakes struck the same area of the country on Wednesday evening, causing buildings to collapse and sending residents fleeing into the streets, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and AFP journalists.
The two quakes, measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, were felt strongly in the capital, Caracas, where panicked residents left homes, offices and shopping centers.
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It was not immediately clear whether there were fatalities. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said some buildings had collapsed and roofs had crumbled.
“The stairs came away, the whole wall cracked. Things fell from the ceiling. It was horrible,” said Odalis Escalona, a 54-year-old bank employee in Caracas.
The first quake struck at 2204 GMT, with an epicenter 21 kilometers west of the coastal town of Moron, according to USGS. Less than a minute later, a stronger 7.5-magnitude quake hit about 45 kilometers away.
“This earthquake was the second event in a doublet. This magnitude 7.5 mainshock was preceded by 39 seconds by a 7.2 foreshock,” USGS said.
Cabello urged people to leave their homes and said gas supplies had been cut to several buildings as a precaution.
“We have some damaged structures and we don’t want any kind of accident involving gas to occur,” he said.
The second tremor, which struck at a depth of 10 kilometers, triggered screams of panic at a shopping center in Caracas, an AFP journalist observed.
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