Follow The Hindu Live as Venezuela reels from back-to-back earthquakes of magnitude 7.1 and 7.5, among the strongest in over a century. Buildings collapse in Caracas, Maiquetia airport shut, state of emergency declared.`

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 quakes are among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century