CARACAS: Strong earthquakes struck west of Venezuela's capital on Wednesday (Jun 24) afternoon, bringing down buildings in Caracas, trapping people in the rubble and prompting scientists to warn of potentially heavy casualties and widespread destruction across the South American country.A magnitude 7.2 earthq

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.