Caracas, Venezuela - June 24, 2026 (CCTV/CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of collapsed building, local residents, rescuers
2. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Luis Gil, local resident:
"I first received an earthquake early warning alert on my phone, but it only gave me about five seconds' advance notice. By the time I stood up, it had already started. The shaking lasted maybe 14 or 15 seconds, but to us it felt like three hours, because it was so intense. The building was swaying, shaking very badly."
3. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Estefania Sierra, local volunteer (ending with shots 4-5):
"I don't belong to any organization. I live here in Petare. As soon as I learned how serious this was, I came to the scene. Hearing the shout that we need supplies and drinking water, people came and began helping. Neighbors are now organizing themselves to sustain the water supply and to coordinate efforts across the entire site. We want to help civil defense personnel, police, and these young people to maintain order, for example, to organize the water distribution, so that people don't all rush forward and grab things."
4. Various of volunteers holding buckets of water, residents on street
5. Various of debris, damaged building

Survivors in Caracas have recalled the harrowing moments when two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela in quick succession on Wednesday evening, leveling buildings and sending terrified residents fleeing into the streets of the capital.

Rescue operations are underway as the country has declared a state of emergency following the strong earthquakes, which has killed at least 164 people and injured 971 others.

Rescue personnel from across the country have been deployed to concentrate efforts in the hardest-hit areas, particularly La Guaira state and Greater Caracas, where 10 buildings had collapsed.

For residents across the capital, the experience was one of sheer terror as buildings swayed violently during the quakes.

"I first received an earthquake early warning alert on my phone, but it only gave me about five seconds' advance notice. By the time I stood up, it had already started. The shaking lasted maybe 14 or 15 seconds, but to us it felt like three hours, because it was so intense. The building was swaying, shaking very badly," said Luis Gil, a local resident in Caracas.

In the Petare neighborhood, local residents have taken it upon themselves to fill gaps in the official response, organizing water distribution and on-site coordination.

"I don't belong to any organization. I live here in Petare. As soon as I learned how serious this was, I came to the scene. Hearing the shout that we need supplies and drinking water, people came and began helping. Neighbors are now organizing themselves to sustain the water supply and to coordinate efforts across the entire site. We want to help civil defense personnel, police, and these young people to maintain order, for example, to organize the water distribution, so that people don't all rush forward and grab things," said Estefania Sierra, a local volunteer.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck near Montalban, Venezuela, at around 2200 GMT on June 24. Less than a minute later, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit the same area. Both earthquakes occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers. The magnitude of the first earthquake was later revised to 7.2.

The quakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century and could be felt throughout the region. Tremors were significantly far-reaching, triggering building evacuations in Brazilian cities, roughly 1,700 kilometers away from Caracas.