Blasts rock Venezuela capital: Low-flying airplanes seen in Caracas; city in dark as videos show panic

At least seven loud explosions were heard across Venezuela’s capital, Caracas (early Saturday), with air sirens and low-flying aircraft adding to the alarm. Several neighborhoods reported panic on the streets and power outages following the blasts.According to AFP, the blasts were heard around 2.00 am local time (0600 GMT). The first explosion was recorded shortly before 1.50 am.

“One was so strong, my window was shaking after it,” CNN correspondent Osmary Hernández said. Witnesses reported hearing aircraft overhead following the explosions. Smoke was also visible in the southern part of the city near a major military base, according to Reuters. Videos of the explosions quickly surfaced on social media.

Several areas of Caracas were left without electricity and residents in multiple neighborhoods rushed out onto the streets. The incident comes amid heightened regional tensions, as US President Donald Trump has recently deployed a naval task force to the Caribbean and raised the possibility of ground strikes against Venezuela. In recent days, the US military has also been targeting alleged drug-smuggling boats in the region.

Earlier, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said he was open to negotiating with the United States on issues including drug trafficking, oil and migration. Speaking in a pre-recorded interview aired on Venezuelan state television on Thursday, Maduro said he was ready for dialogue with Washington “wherever they want and whenever they want.”However, Maduro also accused the US of using its months-long pressure campaign as a way to force a change in government and gain access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. He strongly rejected allegations that his administration is linked to drug cartels, calling the US “war on drugs” a pretext for intervention. Asked directly about President Trump’s claim that American forces had struck a docking facility in Venezuela, Maduro declined to confirm or deny the report, saying it was “something we could talk about in a few days.”

On Monday, Trump said the United States had carried out a strike on a “dock area” in Venezuela used by boats allegedly involved in drug trafficking, describing it as a “major explosion.”

According to CNN, the blast was caused by a drone strike carried out by the CIA.

"There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs. We hit all the boats, and now we hit the area... it's the implementation area," Trump said.The remarks came as the US military has intensified operations against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.Since September, American forces have carried out more than 30 strikes on boats they say were involved in narcotics trafficking, resulting in over 110 deaths, according to US officials.

The latest attack, reported earlier this week, killed five people aboard two boats, the US military said.Trump has repeatedly accused Maduro of flooding the US with drugs and migrants, claims the Venezuelan leader strongly denies. He has also doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture and threatened to designate his government as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation.