Intl desk: A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake has struck near the northern coast of Venezuela, collapsing homes and buildings in the capital, Caracas, and causing widespread destruction. It happened just 40 seconds after a foreshock with a magnitude of 7.2 rocked the area.
Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez has confirmed fatalities and declared a state of emergency. Hundreds of emergency workers are working to find and rescue victims. Terrified residents were seen evacuating buildings with their loved ones. A Caracas resident who escaped from a damaged building said “the scene was like a horror movie.”
High casualties and extensive damage are feared, with the US Geological Survey (USGS) saying there is a 44% chance the death toll will surpass 10,000.
Rescue crews are searching the rubble of collapsed multi-storey buildings for survivors and Venezuela’s main international airport has been closed due to serious damage from the earthquakes.
The US Tsunami Warning Centers said there is no tsunami threat, canceling an advisory that warned of potentially dangerous waves for areas including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the first magnitude 7.2 earthquake had its epicentre west of the community of Moron, located along the country’s Caribbean coast, about 168 km (104 miles) west of Caracas. The quake had a depth of 22km (14 miles).
The USGS reported an even larger magnitude 7.5 earthquake just a minute later, with a depth of 10km (6.2 miles) and an epicentre 16km (10 miles) southwest of Moron.
Venezuela was celebrating a national holiday and many people would have been at home when the quakes struck at 18:04 local time (23:04 BST).
Source: CNN and Al Jazeera
