A powerful earthquake has rocked the Carribean and South America, as the first images of the devastation begin to emerge.
A tremor has shaken eastern Venezuela through to Colombia and Trinidad, causing buildings to be evacuated in Caracas and Bogata.
Cars have been flattened by collapsing walls, supermarket shelves have been completely wiped out and gaping holes in the ground have begun to emerge in Trinidad.
The quake has been placed at a 7.3 magnitude with its epicentre being 13 miles southwest of Irapa, the U.S. Geological Survey says.
A powerful earthquake has shaken eastern Venezuela, causing buildings to be evacuated in the capital of Caracas
A video showing the above damage was posted on a Trinidad weather centre Twitter account with the caption: ‘Damage reported across Trinidad, video taken at Digicel IMAX, Port of Spain’
This image shows the damage caused by the earthquake to a restaurant in Trinidad
This still shows the extent of the damage caused by the quake in a supermarket in Trinidad
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said a tsunami was possible within nearly 200 miles of the earthquake epicentre, which could hit Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, although the warnings were lifted at 6.12pm local time.
Shocks from the earthquake were felt as far away as Colombia’s capital Bogotá while videos of Trinidad showed terrified customers leaving stores as products fell from shelves.
In the Venezuelan capital office workers evacuated buildings and people fled homes in fear of the potential damage the quake could have caused.
The earthquake struck at 5:31pm local time on Tuesday and was 76 miles deep.
Residents and office workers in Caracas fled from their buildings and homes.
State media caught the confusion on camera as Diosdado Cabello, the head of the all-powerful constitutional assembly, was delivering a speech at a march.
Footage captured at the scene shows people shouting ‘quake’ as Cabello and others looked side-to-side for cover.
The quake has been placed at a 7.3 magnitude with its epicentre being 13 miles southwest of Irapa, the U.S. Geological Survey says
People stand on the street after hearing an earthquake alarm in Bogota, Colombia
People evacuate homes after an earthquake struck the northern coast of Venezuela, in Caracas
In the Venezuelan capital office workers evacuated buildings and people fled homes
People gather in the street after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, as they try to ring their family and friends
It was initially reported as a magnitude 6.7 and then 7.0, and was centered near the town of Carupano.
A magnitude 7.3 quake is considered major and is capable of causing widespread, heavy damage.
A witness in Cumana, one of the biggest cities near the epicentre, said there were initial reports of several injuries at a shopping centre where an escalator fell, but that there were no other immediate signs of damage in the vicinity.
John Boquett, a firefighter captain in Caracas, said there were no initial reports of injuries or major damage in the capital.
The earthquake is larger than the devastating tremor which rocked Haiti in 2010.
People stand on the street after hearing an earthquake alarm in Bogota, Colombia