‘Like a horror movie’

Venezuelans recall terror after strongest quakes to hit the country in a century flattened bldgs, filled streets with smoke, triggered a frantic rush to safety and left scores dead People in Venezuela are sharing chilling accounts of the moment two massive quakes hit the country on Wednesday evening. 

‘THE SCENE WAS LIKE A HORROR MOVIE’

One survivor Alejandra escaped a collapsed building and described the chaos in stark terms. She told Reuters: “There was a cloud of smoke that wouldn’t let us see. And when we went downstairs, the scene was like a horror movie. We had to climb over the rubble and everything.”

‘STARTED OFF GENTLY’

Hector Ricci, a Caracas resident, said the shaking did not hit all at once. It built up slowly before forcing everyone outside. 

He said: “It started off gently and then gradually grew, and in the end, we all had to leave our houses, go outside and gather together.”

Roberto Gamas, another Caracas resident, said he was inside when the shaking hit. “The building really shook from side to side. Unreal. The force was incredibly strong.”

‘I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE’

“I thought I was going to die,” Verónica told BBC Mundo. She was celebrating a national holiday with her mother at their Caracas apartment when the earth shook.

Verónica is the sister of BBC Mundo journalist Valentina Oropeza, who spent hours trying to reach her family after receiving a voice message describing the “awful” shaking before communication was cut off.

As images of collapsed buildings on their street spread, Valentina feared the worst. When she finally reached them, Verónica confirmed she and her mother were safe but had likely lost their home. 

“The building is completely destroyed, the walls are cracked.”

‘NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE IT’

Valentina’s mother said Wednesday’s earthquakes felt far worse than previous tremors. “I never thought we would experience something like this,” she said.

Her account was echoed by Coro Martinez, 56, a resident of eastern Caracas. “I’ve never experienced anything like it,” Martinez told Reuters. “There was a loud crash. Things fell in the house, jugs inside the fridge.”