Vanessa Buschschlüter
Latin America and Caribbean editor

Image source, Getty Images

The mayor of Chacao, Gustavo Duque Saez, says there are at least two buildings in this municipality - which forms part of the greater metropolitan area of Caracas - which have completely collapsed.

He says that 18 people had been rescued alive and that more than 500 emergency workers were on site trying to pull out more residents.

"In Chacao, no one is alone, and we won't move from here until every resident is rescued."

He also urged locals trying to track down missing relatives to go to two main local squares - Plaza Altamira and Plaza Los Palos Grandes - where local officials have set up an emergency centre, where information is being collated and those affected are provided with water and shelter.

"Not only do we have two building which have collapsed but also a list of others whose structure has been compromised."

Image source, Getty Images

In a post on X, the US embassy in Caracas says it is "closely monitoring the aftermath" of the earthquake.

It urges people to "avoid damaged areas and do not enter damaged buildings".

In further guidance, it adds that people should monitor local media for updates and "seek secure shelter".

Further to Vanessa's video of the moment when the quake struck, the journalist has described to us the aftermath of the tremor.

The number of deaths and injuries is not yet known, she says, but she describes how her own neighbour broke her arm during the shaking.

"Oh God! Oh God!" exclaims BBC reporter Vanessa Silva as the earthquake hits her home in Caracas.

A chandelier - and the apartment itself - can be seen shaking while a rumbling is heard in the background.

Image source, Getty Images

If you're just joining us, here's a round-up of what's happened so far:

• Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening under a minute apart
• The first 7.2-magnitude quake was centred in San Felipe, in the state of Yaracuy
• It was followed by a stronger earthquake just 39 seconds later, with that one registering a 7.5 magnitude, the US Geological Survey says
• It's still unclear how many casualties there have been and what the extent of the damage will be
• The USGS says high casualties and extensive damage are probable with a 44% chance of more than 10,000 fatalities and a 30% chance of more than 100,000 following the second mainshock quake
• The shaking was felt in Caracas, where buildings have collapsed, petrol supplies have been cut off and people are calling for help under the rubble
• The interior minister has urged residents to leave their homes

Cracked glass and smashed food containers litter the floor of one Caracas resident's home.

Juan Arraez says this is the "heaviest quake I've felt in Venezuela".

“It’s the strongest quake I’ve ever felt in my life,” journalist and BBC Mundo contributor Nicole Kolster says.

She was on the 7th floor of an apartment building in Palos Grandes, central Caracas, when the earthquake began.

"I saw the windows moving and the only thing I could think to do was to get between the front door and a stone wall, which in my judgment is quite strong, to try to protect myself,” Kolster recounts.

She stayed there “for quite a while,” until she heard neighbours shouting for everyone to go down to the street.

"I thought the building was going to fall on top of me," she says.

Vanessa Buschschlüter
Latin America and Caribbean editor

Image source, Getty Images

The first quake struck at 18:04 local time (22:04 GMT) which would normally have been the height of the rush hour.

But 24 June is a national holiday in Venezuela, commemorating the 1821 Battle of Carabobo, a decisive victory by Venezuelan independence leader Simón Bolívar against the Spanish colonial power.

More people than usual would therefore have been at home than on a normal weekday.

Footage shared on social media showed residents rushing into the streets.

In one video two men can be seen trying to hold on to a swaying vitrine full of china, while items crash to the floor.

You can also get live updates on BBC News Mundo, our Spanish language website.

Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello has asked people to leave their homes, AFP reports. Cabello says that petrol supplies to several building have been preemptively cut as a precaution.

"We have some damaged structures and we don't want any kind of accident involving gas to occur," Cabello said.

Vanessa Buschschlüter
Latin America and Caribbean editor

Image source, Getty Images

This is not the first time the Venezuelan capital has been hit by a major earthquake.

In 1967, more than 200 people died when a 6.6-magnitude quake struck Caracas, destroying buildings in the middle-class neighbourhood of Palos Grandes and the upper-class area of Altamira.

Both of those neighbourhoods have again been affected by Wednesday's quake, with Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello telling state TV that "buildings have collapsed there".

Like this time, in 1967 residents also reported feeling twin shocks.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) says high casualties and extensive damage are probable in Venezuela after back-to-back earthquakes rattled the capital and surrounding regions on Wednesday evening.

"The disaster is likely widespread" and aftershocks with potentially strong shaking may follow, the USGS says.

There's a 44% chance of more than 10,000 fatalities, a 30% chance of more than 100,000, according to the agency. And there's also a significant risk of landslides and liquefaction on the ground.

Liquefaction is a phenomenon that afflicts loose sediments in an earthquake and is akin to a lateral landslide.

Will Grant
North America correspondent

The US geological survey reports that an initial 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck in the state of Carabobo, some 20km from the capital, Caracas.

It was immediately followed by another main shock, which was registered at 7.5 magnitude.

The twin seismic events caused building to sway and residents to take to the streets in fear.

Videos posted to social media show some buildings have been cracked, badly damaged or collapsed and thousands of residents remain too worried about aftershocks to return to their apartments.

The country’s interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, confirmed on state television that some buildings had collapsed.

The tremor was felt as far away as the Colombian capital, Bogota.

The extent of the damage still isn’t completely clear as the Venezuelan authorities continue to assess the worst affected areas.

María Corina Machado, Nobel Peace prize winner and opposition leader of Venezuela, has issued a statement in the aftermath of the earthquake.

"My heart, my infinite embrace, and my prayers are with every Venezuelan home in these hours of anguish," she writes in a post on X.

"May strength, serenity, and solidarity prevail among us in the face of this difficult moment," she continues, adding "may God protect every Venezuelan, our families, and our homes. Today, more united than ever".

More pictures are coming in showing the devastation in parts of the capital.

Image source, EPA

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

"Several walls in my building broke open or cracks formed," one witness tells Reuters.

Another witness, Coro Martinez, who lives in eastern Caracas describes a "very loud crash" to the news agency.

"Things fell in the house, jugs inside the refrigerator. I've never experienced anything like it," the 56-year-old says.

Pensioner Maria Romero compares the earthquake to the deadly 1967 natural disaster in Caracas, saying this one was "even worse".

Vanessa Buschschlüter
Latin America and Caribbean editor

Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello tells state television that a number of Venezuelan states have been affected by the quake.

"There was a seismic event, everything indicates that it had a magnitude much greater than seven," he said speaking via phone to VTV.

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

He adds that in the capital, Caracas, the neighbourhoods of Palos Grandes and Altamira were worst hit.

A second earthquake with a 7.5-magnitude has struck Venezuela about 39 seconds after a 7.2 quake rattled the region.

The tremor's epicentre was 23km southeast of Yumare and about 10km deep, according to the US Geological Survey.

A strong earthquake has struck Venezuela, destroying buildings in the capital of Caracas.

Witnesses say they felt tremors from the 7.1 magnitude quake as far as neighbouring Colombia, according to the Reuters news agency.

The quake struck the area of Montalbán at a depth of 13.2km at 18:04 local time (23:04 BST), according to the US Geological Survey (USGC).

A tsunami warning was issued for Venezuela, the US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands by the US Tsunami Warning System but has now been cancelled.

Stay with us as we learn more.