A POWERFUL earthquake wreaked havoc in Venezuela and across parts of the Caribbean - sending people fleeing into the streets for safety.

The 7.3 magnitude quake which struck off the Cariaco peninsula on Tuesday night is the largest to strike the country since 1900.

13 People could be seen running in terror as a 7.3 magnitude earthquake slammed into Venezuela

Supermarket shelves came crashing down in Cumana, the largest city near the earthquake's center.

Downtown in Caracas, concrete from the top floors of the unfinished Tower of David skyscraper fell to the sidewalk, forcing firefighters to close off traffic.

At the General Hospital Santos Anibal Dominicci, hospital beds were moved to the street with doctors forced to treat patients in a car park.

The quake was originally classed at 6.7, but was later upgraded by the United States Geological Survey.

Were you caught up in the quake? Let us know on tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368.

13 The quake cracked a restaurant in half in Trinidad

13

Terrifying video on social media showed families fleeing shaking buildings, as people screamed for their loved ones to escape a block of flats.

Another shows Sails restaurant in near-by Trinidad ripped in half by a massive crack in the floor, with tables and chairs in disarray.

Power outages were reported across the island, where people ran into the street and gasped as large glass panes at one supermarket shattered and falling concrete smashed several cars.

Hours after the horrifying scenes, parents with young children sit patiently beside the skyscraper, still waiting for medical attention.

Confusing moments after the quake were captured live on Venezuelan state television as people yelled "quake!" while MP Diosdado Cabello, delivering a speech at a march in support of the socialist government's recent package of reforms.

13 Fearful locals in Venezuela wait for medical treatment on Tuesday night Credit: AP:Associated Press

13 Bottles fall off a shelf and shatter to the floor as tremors are felt in San Fernando, in Trinidad and Tobago Credit: Reuters

13 This unfinished abandoned skyscraper Torre de David leans after the powerful quake Credit: AFP or licensors

13 Fire crew assess the Tower of David skyscraper which the quake almost tore apart Credit: Reuters

13 Debris surrounds a wrecked car in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago Credit: Reuters

Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said that so far there were no reports of fatalities.

Marisela Lopez, who was at the Friends with Cancer foundation with her 7-year-old daughter when the quake struck said: "We felt something strong and they told everyone to run."

13 A woman reacts after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela Credit: Reuters

13 A car is battered by debris after the quake hit Trinidad

13 Video shows a church collapsing on a car in Port of Spain, Trinidad

13 People gather in the street after an earthquake in Caracas Credit: Reuters

Video showing the aftermath of 6.8 magnitude earthquake which hit Trindad and Tobago

Its epicentre was near the town of Carupano.

Witnesses said the earthquake shook buildings in the capital city of Caracas, more than 330 miles away.

Shocks were also felt as far away as Colombia's capital Bogotá.

The US Pacific Tsunami Center said the quake, which was fairly deep, could cause small tsunami waves along the coast.

But this fear was later relaxed and the tsunami warning dropped.

13 People were told to evacuate buildings as the quake shook the Earth Credit: Reuters

Video from inside an apartment rocked by massive magnitude 7 earthquake in the north coast of Venezuela

Coastal areas including Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago have been warned to be vigilant.

A magnitude 7.3 quake is considered major and is capable of causing widespread, heavy damage.

But the quake was 76.5 miles deep, which would have dampened the shaking.

Hours later, the island of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific - off the East coast of Australia - was hit by a 6.7 magnitude earthquake.

It comes amid mounting fears that the catastrophic "Big One" earthquake could rip through California.

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A cluster of 16 "significant" quakes - above magnitude 4.5 - hit yesterday following 53 that shook the region along the disaster zone on Sunday.

The earthquakes rattled Indonesia, Bolivia, Japan and Fiji but didn't reach the western coast of the US, which sits on the horseshoe-shaped Ring of Fire fault line.

Fears are now growing California's "Big One" could be on the way - a 9.0 magnitude earthquake that would tear through the West coast of the US and cause a tsunami.

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