The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck the country on Wednesday evening were among the strongest in Venezuela in more than a century and were felt throughout the region.

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.

Homes and buildings collapse in first magnitude 7.1 earthquake, with tremors felt in neighbouring Colombia

US Geological Survey estimates 44 per cent chance fatalities could exceed 10,000