CARACAS šC Strong earthquakes struck west of Venezuela¡¯s capital on Wednesday afternoon, damaging buildings in Caracas and prompting scientists to warn of potentially heavy casualties and widespread destruction across the South American country.

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160 km west of Caracas, followed less than a minute later by a ?magnitude 7.5 jolt, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

¡°High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely ?widespread,¡± the ?USGS said, initially estimating the death toll would most likely range from 10,000 to 100,000.

Authorities did not ?immediately provide official estimates for deaths or injuries.

¡°We have buildings, homes and houses which have collapsed and we are taking care of things with everything we have available in terms of security, civil assistance,¡± Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television. ¡°The fire department, police ?all have been activated.¡±

Video footage showed emergency workers climbing through the ruins of a collapsed building in the capital as night fell, with?distraught relatives ?seeking help for loved ones.

Many Venezuelans were at home when the quakes struck during a public holiday marking an 1821 military victory that helped secure the country¡¯s independence from Spain.

¡°As soon as ?it started, we began hearing people screaming,¡± said Astrid ?Ramirez, a 41-year-old publicist in western Caracas. ¡°Everyone was running down the stairs.¡±

Residents across Caracas, which was also hit by a deadly magnitude 6.3 earthquake in 1967, rushed to evacuate as buildings ?shook.

¡°There was a very loud ?crash. Things fell in the house, jugs inside the refrigerator. I¡¯ve never experienced anything ?like it,¡± said Coro Martinez, 56, who lives in eastern Caracas.

Maria Romero, an 80-year-old pensioner in southern Caracas, said ?police helped her ?get out of her home. ¡°This earthquake was horrible, even worse than the one in 1967,¡± she said.

Another resident, a 41-year-old office worker who declined to be named, said she received an earthquake alert on her phone just before the shaking intensified.

¡°It was a normal afternoon, and suddenly my phone sounded an earthquake alert,¡± she said. ¡°As I picked it up ?and started listening to what it was saying, I first felt light shaking. Then, in less than two seconds, everything started moving.¡±

Fire trucks were seen on the streets of Caracas, where some buildings suffered significant facade damage.

Video filmed at the Hospital de Clinicas Caracas showed a darkened hallway with ceiling panels hanging by cables and pieces of plaster scattered across the floor.

Other videos on social media ?appeared ?to show significant damage at Venezuela¡¯s main airport, while residents reported collapsed buildings in La Guaira, a ?coastal city near Caracas.?Footage from the airport and La Guaira could not be?immediately verified.