Venezuela reels after two major earthquakes hit Caracas and coast

Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela in rapid succession Wednesday, killing at least 188 people and injuring at least 1,500, Al Jazeera reported. The quakes damaged cities from La Guaira to Caracas, pushed residents into streets and public squares, and led Venezuela to declare a state of emergency.

Al Jazeera reported that the earthquakes registered magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5. Buildings collapsed as the ground shook, leaving people caught under debris, while the United States Geological Survey said mass casualties were likely and damage would be extensive.

In Caracas, residents described a night of panic followed by uncertainty over whether their homes and workplaces were safe to enter. More than 10 aftershocks followed the first seismic activity, according to Al Jazeera.

Residents spent the night outside

Maria Gonzalez, 52, told Al Jazeera she was inside her home in Chacao, a municipality on the edge of Caracas in Miranda state, when the shaking began. She said she first mistook the movement for wind at the windows before seeing the outside shake as well.

Gonzalez said objects fell inside her home, though her building was not damaged. She spent the night in Plaza Altamira, an open area in the center of town, and said she repeatedly left her home when aftershocks struck.

Other residents gave similar accounts of fear and disorientation. Alejandro San Cristobal, 60, told Al Jazeera he was walking on Sucre Street in Chacao when the earthquake hit and moved toward the middle of the street to get away from nearby buildings.

San Cristobal said he had trouble staying upright as the ground moved and saw vehicles swaying in the street. He described a loud rumbling and dust rising around him, and said he was waiting for officials to inspect the older building where he lives.

Inspections began amid heavy damage

San Cristobal told Al Jazeera there appeared to be some damage to rooftop water tanks at his building, but he believed the structure was generally intact. He contrasted that with other buildings where walls had come down.

Eunice Arias, 45, who works at a currency exchange in Altamira, told Al Jazeera she felt the quake while heading home to La California, another district in the Caracas suburbs. She said the vibration of buildings and the sound from structural columns left her terrified.

Arias said she had felt smaller earthquakes before in Venezuela, which lies along the boundary of two tectonic plates, but nothing comparable to Wednesday’s two major shocks. She said lamps and televisions began falling as she reached her apartment, and she later spent hours in her car trying to calm herself.

Her building did not suffer major damage, she told Al Jazeera, but the area around her workplace in Altamira was among the hardest hit. She said inspectors were checking her office building Thursday to determine whether people could enter.

Al Jazeera reported that Caracas remained shaken Thursday morning. Many residents slept in public squares overnight, some tried to return to work, and dozens of families in areas including Altamira, Los Palos Grandes and El Paraiso lost their homes.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.