Watch: Twin earthquakes over magnitude 7 strike Venezuela, buildings collapse

Several buildings collapsed after two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela on Wednesday.

It was unclear if the quakes had led to casualties. Videos posted on social media showed several buildings to have collapsed and damage at the airport in capital Caracas.

The epicentres of both the quakes were close to Caracas, the United States Geological Survey said.

The first quake occurred at 6 pm local time at a depth of nearly 22 km. The second struck a minute later at a depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes tend to be more destructive.

There were more than 20 aftershocks, AFP reported.

The country’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez declared a state of emergency.

The Maiquetia airport in Caracas would close following “serious damage”, Rodriguez said.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello urged the public to leave their homes and said that gas supplies had been cut to several buildings as a precaution, AFP reported.

“We have some damaged structures and we don’t want any kind of accident involving gas to occur,” he said.

The US National Tsunami Warning Center said that there was no threat of the quakes having triggered a tsunami.

WATCH: Magnitude 7.1 earthquake destroys apartment building in Caracas, Venezuela. Number of casualties unknown. pic.twitter.com/eTVroUH5St— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) June 24, 2026

Me han pasado este vídeo del Aeropuerto de Maiquetia. dios mío… pic.twitter.com/sSH0yboQVP— Said Rahal (@srahalh) June 24,...

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