Journalist Nicole Kolster was in a seventh‑storey apartment in Caracas when her building trembled violently. "I saw the windows move, and the only thing I could think to do was to get between the front door and a stone wall…to try to protect myself," she recalled.
The city was hit twice within seconds by a 7.2 and a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, leaving several buildings collapsed and people stranded in the streets. The full scale of casualties and damage is still unknown.
"It was the strongest quake I have ever felt," Kolster told the BBC. "The building seemed on the verge of sliding on top of me."
She remained wedged between the front door and the wall until neighbors shouted for evacuation. An hour later, most residents were still outside, waiting for safety amid possible aftershocks.
Residents of Palos Grandes, a central Caracas district that suffered heavy damage in 1967, described a new wave of devastation: "Full‑height utility poles fell; we lost electricity and signal," lamented Maria Elise.
Young residents recalled the 1967 shock of magnitude 6.6, which killed more than 200 people and flattened buildings. Many said the recent tremors have felt more intense.
Local eyewitnesses describe hearts racing, pets locked inside homes, and people scrambling for cars in basements, fearing further collapse.
Current rescue operations are underway, but the true extent of destruction remains uncertain as many collapsed structures still conceal survivors.
