Star Metro - Two powerful earthquakes strike Venezuela, destroying buildings

The quakes drove residents of the capital, Caracas, into the streets.

It remains unknown whether the incident caused fatalities, but some buildings collapsed and roofs crumbled, according to Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.

"The stairs came away, the whole wall cracked. Things fell from the ceiling. It was horrible," said 54-year-old bank employee Odalis Escalona in Caracas.

The first quake, with an epicenter 21 kilometers (13 miles) west of the coastal town of Moron, occurred at 2204 GMT, USGS said. Within a minute, a 7.5-magnitude quake struck about 45 kilometers away.

"This earthquake was the second event in a doublet. This magnitude 7.5 mainshock was preceded by 39 seconds by a 7.2 foreshock," USGS said.

Cabello asked people to leave their homes, adding that gas supplies had been cut to several buildings as a precaution.

"We have some damaged structures and we don't want any kind of accident involving gas to occur," Cabello said.

With a depth of 10 kilometers, the second tremor prompted screams of panic at a shopping center in Caracas, an AFP journalist observed.

"It was unbelievable, I don't even know how long it lasted," said shopkeeper Heidi Romero, who was on the top floor of the shopping center when the quake struck.

"We went out through the emergency stairs, that's how they got us out," the 42-year-old told AFP.

Dozens more in the capital exited buildings and waited outside before returning to their offices and homes.

F.T. Michaud--SMC