Earthquake rocks Venezuela: Maiquetía airport footage captures moments of panic as travellers scramble to escape

A massive earthquake slammed into Venezuela on Wednesday night, and the videos coming out of Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía are hard to watch. Sign boards swing wildly overhead.

People scream and run. Lights flicker, then go out completely, leaving travelers stumbling through a dark terminal that, just minutes earlier, looked like any other busy airport.The quake hit with a magnitude above 7.0. The United States Geological Survey reported a powerful earthquake struck Venezuela on Wednesday, and the shaking was strong enough that it wasn't just felt in Caracas. The tremor was felt by millions of people across a vast stretch of Venezuelan territory, and it reached as far as Colombia.

The viral video from the airport

This wasn't just some shaky footage and scared travelers. A section of the terminal's roof or ceiling reportedly collapsed at the airport, which is Venezuela's main international gateway. Videos reviewed by aviation outlets show fallen ceiling panels, debris scattered across the floor, dust filling the hall, damaged fixtures, and people evacuating as fast as they could. The footage that's circulating, the one with the swinging sign boards, lines up with reports of damage spreading through the landside passenger area, including the seating zones and the signs meant to guide travelers to their gates.