Rescue workers and municipal police officers work at the site of a collapsed building following the earthquake, Caracas, Venezuela, June 24, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
A strong earthquake shook north-central Venezuela late Wednesday afternoon, bringing down buildings in the capital Caracas.
The magnitude-7.1 earthquake hit at around 6 p.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.
"Some buildings have been brought down (in Caracas), houses have collapsed," Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television. He did not give any initial estimates of deaths or injuries, and said protocols were being followed to gather more information.
Video footage showed emergency workers climbing into the ruins of one collapsed building in the capital as night began to fall.
Many Venezuelans were at home when the quake hit, celebrating a public holiday.
Residents in Caracas rushed to evacuate as the quake shook buildings, with neighboring Colombia also reporting tremors, according to Reuters.
The US Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami threat for Puerto Rico and the US and British Virgin Islands following the earthquake, adding that islands off the coast from Venezuela to Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire could also be hit by hazardous waves.
(With input from agencies)