Venezuela quake survivors in and around Caracas describe buildings collapsing as shaking began

Residents in the Caracas area described violent shaking and widespread damage after a recent earthquake in Venezuela, telling CBS News that multiple buildings collapsed and that they realized the scale of the disaster only after the shaking began.

A Caracas resident said he “started to pray” when he felt the first earthquake, describing a sudden loss of safety as structures gave way. Other accounts CBS News gathered from residents pointed to an immediate collapse of familiar surroundings, with people scrambling to get out as impacts continued.

CBS News interviews focused on neighborhoods including Catia and La Mar in Caracas, as well as areas outside the capital that were also affected, including La Guaira. Residents described what they saw and what they experienced in the moments when the earthquake first arrived and when aftershocks followed.

The accounts portrayed scenes of confusion and rapid deterioration of everyday life, with damage occurring so quickly that people struggled to judge where to go or whether buildings would hold. Several residents emphasized that the damage was not limited to one structure, describing a broader pattern of collapse.

While the interviews underscored the human shock of the event, they also highlighted the practical risks that follow an earthquake, including unstable buildings and the need for immediate safety decisions for families. The residents CBS News spoke with described the experience as overwhelming, centered on fear, urgency, and the effort to survive the collapse and any continued shaking.

CBS News reported the interviews as the situation unfolded, with residents speaking from their neighborhoods as they assessed what had fallen and what remained standing. The next phase, according to the kinds of information residents were seeking in the interviews, is clarification on conditions on the ground, access to affected areas, and how local services and emergency response will proceed.

For now, the witness accounts provide a ground-level view of the disaster’s impact in and around Caracas, centered on the first moments of the quake and the resulting structural failures residents say left “everything collapsed.” Authorities and official assessments would be expected to follow as damage reports are verified and communities determine how to begin recovery.