Twin Venezuela quakes flatten Caracas buildings, trigger Caribbean tsunami alerts

Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela’s Caribbean coast on Wednesday evening, sending residents rushing into streets in Caracas and raising fears of widespread damage in the capital and nearby coastal areas. Early readings from the US Geological Survey placed the stronger quake at magnitude 7.5, after an earlier magnitude 7.1 tremor near Morón, west of Caracas.

The earthquakes were shallow, increasing the risk of serious surface damage. The USGS said the first quake was centred west of Morón at a depth of about 13 km. Minutes later, it reported a second, stronger quake about 16 km south-west of Morón, at a depth of around 10 km.

Venezuela’s interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, said the shaking was felt in several states. He said parts of Caracas, including the Altamira neighbourhood, had reported “alarming situations” involving damaged homes and buildings. Authorities urged people not to return to weakened structures because aftershocks could trigger further collapses.