Strong Quakes Hit Venezuela, Causing Heavy Damage and Emergency Response

Two powerful earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5, struck overnight between Wednesday and Thursday west of Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, causing extensive damage in the city. The U.S. Geological Survey warned that casualties were likely high and the disaster could be widespread, estimating deaths could range from 10,000 to 100,000. Venezuelan authorities gave no official death or injury toll.

Vice President Delcy Rodríguez addressed the nation, declared a state of emergency, and ordered the closure of Maiquetía International Airport because of the damage. She offered condolences to the families of the dead, without saying how many had been killed. Rodríguez said the two main quakes were followed by 20 aftershocks.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television, “We have buildings and houses that have collapsed, and we are dealing with things with what we have in terms of security and civilian aid.” He added that firefighters and police were deployed. Footage from Caracas showed emergency workers climbing through the wreckage of a collapsed building as relatives searched for help. Many residents were at home because the quakes hit during a public holiday marking a 1821 military victory that helped secure independence from Spain.

Residents described panic and destruction across the city, which was also hit by a deadly 6.3-magnitude quake in 1967. Astrid Ramírez, a 41-year-old public relations worker in western Caracas, said, “As soon as it started, we began hearing people screaming. Everyone ran down the stairs.” María Romero, an 80-year-old retiree in southern Caracas, said police helped her leave her home and called the quake “terrible, even worse than the one in 1967.” Another resident said she received an earthquake alert on her phone just before the shaking intensified. Manuel Guevara Barro, who lives on the ninth floor in Los Palos Grandes, told CNN the tremors were “terrible” and unlike anything he had experienced, describing darkness, flooding from broken pipes, and neighbors crying and suffering nervous breakdowns.

After the quakes, the U.S. Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami warning for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and warned of dangerous waves in Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire, before canceling it about an hour later. U.S. officials said they were in contact with Venezuelan authorities and were mobilizing assistance. The U.S. embassy in Caracas said all American personnel had been accounted for.