The straight-line distance from Venezuela's capital Caracas to both earthquake epicenters is less than 200 kilometers, and large numbers of people fled their homes and poured into the streets.
Resident Alejandra recalled: “We ran downstairs, and the scene was like a horror movie. We were crawling over the rubble. We only saw one family escape from the building.”
80-year-old Romero, who lives in the southern part of Caracas, said: “This earthquake was terrifying, even more so than the one in 1967.”
Barro also told CNN, “I've never seen anything like this.”
He said: “I experienced the 1967 Caracas earthquake, which also caused many casualties, but today’s earthquake was completely different.”
In 1967, Caracas experienced a magnitude 6.3 earthquake, resulting in over 200 deaths and 2,000 injuries.