A series of strong earthquakes have struck west of Venezuela's capital Caracas, bringing down buildings and causing scientists to estimate "high casualties and extensive damage".A magnitude-7.2 quake struck about 160 kilometres west of Caracas on Wednesday afternoon, according to Reuters, while a magnitude-7.5 tremor hit less than a minute later.Follow our live blog below as we bring you more details.Collapse all postsFilter PostsAll3Key Events2Key EventThu 25 Jun 2026 at 10:46amThu 25 Jun 2026 at 10:46amBack-to-back, powerful quakes struck just below the surfaceThe US Geological Survey says Venezuela was hit by two back-to-back powerful earthquakes just after 6pm Wednesday local time, with the first one a magnitude-7.1 quake about 168 kilometres west of Caracas.The second, a magnitude-7.5 quake, struck just a minute later, another 16 kilometres further south-west of the initial quake.Both quakes were relatively shallow, and therefore more dangerous. The first hit at a depth of 22 kilometres, while the second, larger quake was just 10 kilometres below the surface.Key EventThu 25 Jun 2026 at 10:39amThu 25 Jun 2026 at 10:39am📸 Photos: Rescue workers, civilians help injured after quakes hit CaracasBy Andrew ThorpeThu 25 Jun 2026 at 10:28amThu 25 Jun 2026 at 10:28amWe're launching a live blog after reports of major earthquakes near CaracasBy Andrew ThorpeGood morning. We're launching a live blog as reports of a major series of earthquakes begin to emerge from Venezuela.A number of buildings and houses have reportedly collapsed in the capital, Caracas, leading scientists to estimate "high casualties and extensive damage".Early images show rescue workers searching for victims and civilians crying in the street, while buildings behind them are either destroyed or show signs of severe damage.Stay with us as we bring you the latest.