A rare sequence of two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela just 39 seconds apart on Wednesday, triggering tsunami alerts across parts of the Caribbean and causing widespread disruption. Search-and-rescue operations carried on through the night as emergency crews worked through damaged buildings, while authorities assessed the scale of the destruction.
The first earthquake measured magnitude 7.2. A stronger magnitude 7.5 quake followed less than a minute later. Both struck near Venezuela's Caribbean coast, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
