The earthquakes struck suddenly just after 6pm, local time, and the impacts were felt across the region.
Journalist Elizabeth Ostos felt strong shaking at her home in the La Pastora neighborhood of Caracas, roughly 170 kilometres (as the crow flies) from the epicentre.
“I was watching a World Cup soccer game when suddenly I felt the ground start to shake very violently. It was like a whirlwind coming from the centre of the floor.
“All of a sudden, my house was shaking — I’d never experienced anything like it! The TV fell to the floor.
“It was like a moment of sheer panic. My sister and my two cats were in another part of the house. I went to look for them, and we ran out into the street. We stood in the middle of the street in front of our house for 10 minutes.
“I sat down on some stairs, and suddenly there was a very strong aftershock! Half an hour later, there were more aftershocks, but they were very mild.
“I’m scared because we don’t know how to behave during earthquakes.”
