When the ground beneath Caracas started violently rocking on Wednesday evening, Verónica feared the walls of her apartment would bury her. "I thought I was going to die," she told BBC Mundo.
She was at home celebrating a national holiday with her mother when two earthquakes struck seconds apart around 18:00 local time – the first at magnitude 7.2, the second at 7.5, the US Geological Survey said. Their epicentres were near the coastal town of Morón, about 105 miles west of the capital.
“At least 164 dead and thousands missing after two massive earthquakes hit Venezuela; survivors describe terror.”
At least 164 people have been confirmed dead and 971 others injured, with more than 26,000 reported missing, according to authorities. The acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, said much of the worst damage was in Caracas and along the northern coast. "We send our immediate condolences to those who have lost relatives," she said.
Rescuers are digging through the rubble of collapsed buildings in the capital, where voices have been heard calling for help. Verónica, whose sister is BBC Mundo journalist Valentina Oropeza, said she had likely lost her home. "The building is completely destroyed, the walls are cracked."
BBC Mundo journalist Nicole Kolster was in her seventh-storey apartment in the Palos Grandes district when the windows began to shake. "The only thing I could think to do was to get between the front door and a stone wall," she said.
In the coastal area of La Guaira, about a 45-minute drive north-east of Caracas, the airport sustained "severe damage", Rodríguez said, with roof sections collapsing on fleeing travellers. The airport was closed immediately, and metro and train systems were halted. Rescue teams were being shifted from other parts of the country to La Guaira.
Just west of La Guaira, the seaside town of Catia La Mar saw a dozen or more big buildings collapse, including seafront hotels and residential condominiums. "Dozens of buildings have collapsed there … and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives," Rodríguez said.
In central Caracas's Altamira neighbourhood, a Guardian reporter saw at least three collapsed buildings. Outside one, a person was weeping and calling out for his grandmother who he feared was inside.
Residents spent the night in streets and public squares. Leander Perez, who lives in the Santa Rosalía parish, told the BBC: "We spent the night in a public square, on the pavement. Most of the neighbourhood is destroyed."
Pope Leo has sent an initial €100,000 emergency donation to Venezuela, the Vatican announced. The US president, Donald Trump, posted: "The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help!"
Authorities have warned they have not even begun to gauge the losses in some of the hardest-hit areas. As night fell, dazed locals – many rendered functionally homeless – milled the streets, waiting for news on their homes or loved ones.