Air siren raids were heard in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, reportedly similar to those of aeroplanes flying over the area at around 2:00 local time on Saturday.
AFP journalists in the city confirmed the occurrence of the loud noises.
Multiple unverified images surfaced on social media showing a massive fire with plumes of smoke appearing to be in the south and east of Caracas.
At 2:38, a new explosion was felt, and an aircraft continued to fly over the city. Power outages were reported in many areas. Witnesses also reported hearing gunshots.
In the southern part of Caracas, a military base was left without electricity, Reuters reported. A total of seven explosions were reported, and planes were seen flying overhead.
The exact causes of the explosions have not been verified. The US had carried out a drone strike in Venezuela targeting port facilities earlier this week,
On December 16, U.S. President Donald Trump had declared that the leader of the country, Nicolas Maduro, was a terrorist and that he would impose a “blockade of sanctioned tankers carrying Venezuelan oil. The US had deployed a fleet of warships to the Caribbean and mentioned a possibility of attacks on the Venezuelan territory, and stated that Maduro’s days were numbered.
