Powerful back-to-back earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening, collapsing buildings and sending panicked residents into the streets as communities across the South American country sustained damage. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency in an address to the nation late Wednesday. She says the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes shortly after 6 p.m. caused damage in several states but she did not provide figures of fatalities, injuries or homes and buildings affected. The earthquakes are among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century. Buildings were evacuated in cities and areas were impacted as far as Brazil’s Amazon about 1,700 kilometers from Venezuela’s capital Caracas.