‘I saw the windows moving’ – Venezuelans express shock as quake hits

Journalist Nicole Kolster was at home in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, when her apartment began to shake violently.

“I saw the windows moving, and the only thing I could think to do was get between the front door and the stone wall… to try to protect myself,” she said.

On Wednesday, two earthquakes struck the city seconds apart, the first at 7.2 and the second at 7.5. Photographs showed collapsed buildings and people huddled in the streets, but the death toll and the extent of the damage were not yet known.

“It’s the biggest shame I’ve ever felt in my life,” Colster told BBC Mundo. “It was so strong that I thought the building was going to fall on top of me.”

Kolster remained “for some time” between the front door and a stone wall in her seventh-floor apartment before hearing neighbors asking people to leave.

“An hour after the earthquake, everyone is waiting for safety in case of an aftershock,” said the journalist, who lives in Palos Grandes, a major district in central Caracas, among the worst hit by the quake.

Although it was a weekday, many people were at home when the earthquake struck during a national holiday commemorating the 1821 Battle of Carabobo, Venezuela’s independence leader Simón Bolívar’s decisive victory over Spanish colonial power.

Photos and videos from the affected areas show some people in tears and others taking to the streets.

“There are people who are very sad, helpless because they can’t get their pets out,” Kolster says.

“Others tried to get their cars out of the building, because the aftershocks could make the situation worse.”

She said calls for help could be heard from the rubble of a collapsed building nearby.