CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Back-to-back powerful earthquakes hammered Venezuela on Wednesday evening, collapsing buildings in the capital of Caracas.

The US Geological Survey said the first earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1 and its epicentre was west of the community of Morón, located along the country’s Caribbean coast, about 168 kilometres (104 miles) west of Caracas.

The quake had a depth of 13 kilometres (8 miles).