Magnitude 7.1 earthquake rocks Venezuela as buildings shake in Caracas

The magnitude-7.2 earthquake, which was initially reported as 7.1, took place at a depth of 21.9km at 6.04pm local time (23:04 BST) on Wednesday, according to the USGC.

The second earthquake's epicentre was 23km southeast of the town of Yumare and about 10km deep, according to the USGC.

Tsunami threats issued for Venezuela and surrounding areas, including Puerto Rico, were later cancelled by the US Tsunami Warning System.

People in Caracas were quick to evacuate during the earthquake, with one witness reporting that cracks had appeared in their apartment and glass had shattered, Reuters reported.

One photograph taken by an Agence France-Presse journalist shows a building, believed to be a bank in Caracas, in ruins.

Colombians reportedly felt the earthquake hundreds of kilometres away in the capital Bogota, where some people were evacuated as a precaution.

Cabello said multiple Venezuelan states had been affected by the quake.

"This is a seismic event, everything indicates that it had a magnitude much greater than seven," he told VTV via telephone.

"It has been strongly felt in Trujillo, Yaracuy, Carabobo, Aragua, Miranda, Caracas and La Guaira."

Cabello added that in Caracas the neighbourhoods of Los Palos Grandes and Altamira were worst hit.

In a statement on X, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said: "My heart, my infinite embrace, and my prayers are with every Venezuelan home in these hours of anguish."

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