Venezuela rocked by twin powerful earthquakes; buildings collapse, casualties feared

Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela in quick succession, both causing strong tremors in the capital of Caracas.

Xinhua correspondents reported shaking windows and toppled bookshelves at their residences in the capital, and images circulating on social media showed collapsed houses on the streets of Caracas.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported a magnitude 7.1 quake at 2204 GMT on Wednesday evening, followed just one minute later by an even stronger magnitude 7.5 tremor. Both struck near the coastal town of Moron, about 160 km west of Caracas.

The quakes were shallow with a depth of 10 km, which could intensify their destructive impact.

Venezuela's Interior, Justice and Peace Minister Diosdado Cabello said the strong earthquakes have caused damage in cities across the country.

Several buildings collapsed in the eastern part of the Caracas metropolitan area, Cabello said, giving no immediate details on casualties or injuries.

Cabello urged Venezuelans to avoid staying inside buildings in the coming hours due to the risk of strong aftershocks that could cause further collapses, while calling on the public to remain calm and united as the country deals with the quake's aftermath.

Meanwhile, Colombian media reported that the quake was also felt strongly in several cities in neighbouring Colombia.

The USGS said the two quakes are likely to result in high casualties and extensive damage.

In a separate incident, a powerful earthquake measuring a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 struck northeastern Japan on Thursday morning, shaking a wide area across the country's northeast and briefly disrupting transport services. However, authorities said there was no tsunami threat, according to local media reports.

The quake struck off the Pacific coast of Iwate Prefecture at around 7:30 a.m. local time and occurred at a depth of 50 kilometres, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

"Except for the headline, no changes have been made to the story, as it has been sourced from IANS."