Hundreds of people are feared to have died and thousands have been injured in Venezuela’s largest earthquake in more than a century.
Two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 hit 39 seconds apart near the town of Morón.
The acting president, Delcy Rodríguez,said much of the worst damage recorded so far was in the capital, Caracas, about 100 miles to the east of the epicentre, and along the northern coast. “We send our immediate condolences to those who have lost relatives,” she said.
Here are the areas that have been worst hit so far.
La Guaira
The coastal area surrounding the capital’s airport, about a 45-minute drive to the north-east of the city, is also where Donald Trump’s attack on the country began on 3 January, when US helicopters led a raid to kidnap the president, Nicolás Maduro.
The airport itself was shaken hard by the quake, with roof sections collapsing on fleeing travellers, and authorities closed it immediately after it sustained “severe damage”, Rodríguez said. Metro and train systems were also halted. Rodríguez said authorities were shifting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira.
Just west of La Guaira is the seaside town of Catia La Mar, where reports indicated that a dozen or more big buildings including seafront hotels and residential condominiums had collapsed. The Playa Grande neighbourhood was particularly badly hit.
“Dozens of buildings have collapsed there … and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,” Rodríguez said.
Altamira and Los Palos Grandes
In central Caracas, the neighbourhoods of Altamira and Los Palos Grandes are home to various foreign embassies and upmarket residences, including one where Rodríguez’s family lives.
A Guardian reporter saw at least three buildings that had collapsed in Altamira. Some people were reportedly trapped under the rubble. Outside one building, a person was seen weeping and calling out for his grandmother who he feared was inside. Nearby, rescue workers and volunteers searched for survivors.
The JW Marriott hotel, which has served as the US’s unofficial embassy since January’s military intervention, was badly shaken. Footage posted on social media showed guests fleeing for cover as the outdoor restaurant was rattled.
Three people were killed in the Baruta district in Caracas after two buildings collapsed, according to the district mayor, Reuters reported. The mayor of Chacao district in Caracas said one person had died, four buildings had collapsed and 22 people had been taken to hospital.
Around the country
The epicentre of the quake was some distance west of the capital, in the countryside near the coastal town of Morón, in the state of Carabobo.
Photograph: Jacinto Oliveros/AFP/Getty Images
In Naguanagua, building walls collapsed, and in Valencia, the state capital, residents gathered outside damaged buildings.
