Back-to-back earthquakes have killed at least 32 people in Venezuela, with at least 700 injured, acting President Delcy Rodríguez says.
The US Geological Survey earlier calculated a 44% chance of more than 10,000 fatalities, and a 30% chance of more than 100,000.
Rescuers in the capital are searching through the rubble for survivors and people have been heard calling for help.
Buildings are without power and the metro system is completely closed, reports the BBC’s Vanessa Silva from Caracas.
The quakes, which had magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, hit an area west of the capital, and could be felt as far away as Bogota, Colombia.
Venezuela was celebrating a national holiday, and many people were at home when the quakes struck at 18:04 local time (23:04 BST)
