Buildings and houses collapse after a magnitude-7.2 earthquake strikes west of Caracas, leading scientists to estimate "high casualties and extensive damage" in the capital. Follow live.

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake and a 7.5-magnitude were less than a minute apart, said the U.S. Geological Survey. The second earthquake was the largest to hit the country since 1900.

Several earthquakes shook Venezuela's capital of Caracas on Wednesday afternoon,witnesses reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey warned that \