In Venezuela’s capital, numerous buildings crumbled after a powerful earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale hit near Morón.
According to NBC News, the seismic event occurred approximately 104 miles, or 168 kilometers, to the west of Caracas and had a depth of 8 miles, equivalent to 13 kilometers.
The USGS also noted a second tremor, this time at a magnitude of 7.5, occurring just a minute apart. This subsequent quake had a depth of 10 kilometers and was centered 16 kilometers, or 10 miles, southwest of Morón.
These powerful quakes are some of the most intense to have affected Venezuela in over a hundred years.
In response, the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an alert for the Virgin Islands, while authorities in the Dominican Republic did likewise for the island. Meanwhile, a separate warning for Puerto Rico was lifted shortly after being issued.
Video shared on social media showed several structures collapsing in the nation’s capital as a result of the earthquake.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the quake shook several states across the country, with injuries and potential deaths in what was described as an “alarming situation” while urging people to remain outside as the region experiences aftershocks.
“We understand that some people may be desperate, but we are acting according to protocols to activate aid and rescue efforts to help those who need it most,” Cabello said on state television. “Be very careful with children and the elderly; call each other and check that no one has been harmed.”
“The building really shook from side to side. Unreal. The force was incredibly strong,” Caracas resident Roberto Damas said. “We were walking and it was tossing us around. Everything in the apartment fell. Well, thank God we were able to get out.”