Survivors recall terrifying moments of earthquake as rescue underway in Venezuela

Survivors in Caracas have recalled the harrowing moments when two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela in quick succession on Wednesday evening, leveling buildings and sending terrified residents fleeing into the streets of the capital.

Rescue operations are underway as the country has declared a state of emergency following the strong earthquakes, which has killed at least 164 people and injured 971 others.

Rescue personnel from across the country have been deployed to concentrate efforts in the hardest-hit areas, particularly La Guaira state and Greater Caracas, where 10 buildings had collapsed.

For residents across the capital, the experience was one of sheer terror as buildings swayed violently during the quakes.

"I first received an earthquake early warning alert on my phone, but it only gave me about five seconds' advance notice. By the time I stood up, it had already started. The shaking lasted maybe 14 or 15 seconds, but to us it felt like three hours, because it was so intense. The building was swaying, shaking very badly," said Luis Gil, a local resident in Caracas.

In the Petare neighborhood, local residents have taken it upon themselves to fill gaps in the official response, organizing water distribution and on-site coordination.

"I don't belong to any organization. I live here in Petare. As soon as I learned how serious this was, I came to the scene. Hearing the shout that we need supplies and drinking water, people came and began helping. Neighbors are now organizing themselves to sustain the water supply and to coordinate efforts across the entire site. We want to help civil defense personnel, police, and these young people to maintain order, for example, to organize the water distribution, so that people don't all rush forward and grab things," said Estefania Sierra, a local volunteer.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck near Montalban, Venezuela, at around 2200 GMT on June 24. Less than a minute later, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit the same area. Both earthquakes occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers. The magnitude of the first earthquake was later revised to 7.2.

The quakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century and could be felt throughout the region. Tremors were significantly far-reaching, triggering building evacuations in Brazilian cities, roughly 1,700 kilometers away from Caracas.

Survivors recall terrifying moments of earthquake as rescue underway in Venezuela

A Chinese resident in Valencia, capital of Carabobo State in Venezuela, said the twin earthquakes Wednesday shook his bed violently and all his neighbors rushed to open spaces for safety.

The U.S. Geological Survey said a magnitude 7.2 foreshock struck at 18:04 local time (2204 GMT) on Wednesday in Venezuela, followed just 40 seconds later by an even stronger magnitude 7.5 quake. Both struck near the coastal town of Moron in the state of Carabobo, about 160 km west of the national capital Caracas.

"We were just back from work, and I wanted to take a nap while scrolling through my phone in bed. As I was about to fall asleep, I suddenly felt the whole bed rocking violently. I immediately knew it was an earthquake. It was not our first time to experience a quake, as it jolted often before, but those so-called quakes were rather minor -- perhaps magnitude 3 or 4, just shook slightly, not very strong. This time it was much stronger. The bed was swaying back and forth like a swing we played in our childhood," said Huang Fei, Chinese resident in Valencia.

He then rushed downstairs to find that all his neighbors had come out.

Huang said he drove to an open area, grabbed something to eat at a restaurant, and waited there until it felt safe to return home at around 22:00.

"The vibration was intense, but fortunately, it didn't last very long. In our area, there have been no reports of major building collapses so far. Among friends and local community groups, we haven't heard of any serious damage nearby. However, several buildings reportedly collapsed in Caracas and in coastal communities farther away. We live about 50 kilometers from the coast," said Huang.

The twin earthquakes were the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century and the deadliest in decades.

Venezuela's health ministry raised the death toll to at least 235 on Thursday evening. The number of injured had climbed to 4,300.

Chinese resident in Venezuela recalls thrilling moments of earthquakes