Venezuela is still assessing the scale of a double earthquake disaster that struck near Caracas on Thursday morning, with fears that thousands, and possibly many thousands, were killed. There is no official casualty count yet, but scenes from Caracas and other affected areas show collapsed buildings, rescue teams digging through huge piles of rubble, and trapped people reportedly shouting from inside the wreckage. A website set up after the disaster to help locate missing people said that by 9 a.m. Israel time, more than 6,600 people were listed as missing or out of contact.
The US Geological Survey warned in an early assessment that there is a 44% chance the death toll will exceed 10,000 and a 30% chance it could surpass 100,000. The quakes hit at 6:04 p.m. local time, 1:04 a.m. Israel time, about a minute apart, in the Moron area on the Caribbean coast, roughly 170 kilometers west of Caracas. The first measured magnitude 7.2 and was effectively a foreshock to the stronger second quake, which measured 7.5. The second was the strongest earthquake to hit Venezuela in more than a century and likely among the deadliest in its modern history.
The shaking was felt as far away as Brazil’s Amazon region, about 1,700 kilometers from Caracas, and was followed by 20 aftershocks. The shallow depth of both quakes, 22 kilometers and 10 kilometers, intensified the damage, as did the fact that many people were at home during a national holiday marking a 1821 military victory. Acting president Delcy Rodriguez declared an emergency, said at least 32 people had been killed and 700 injured, and described intense rescue efforts. She said, “This is a real tragedy,” and called for calm and unity.
Media and eyewitness reports described widespread devastation, including a 22-story residential tower in Caracas’ Altamira district that collapsed completely. Residents shouted the names of relatives trapped under the debris, while volunteers climbed the rubble and cried, “We need flashlights!” BBC Spanish journalist Nicole Colster said she heard trapped victims shouting, “Call for help, we are here!” Reuters quoted survivors describing the scene as like a horror film. The main international airport, Simon Bolivar in Maiquetia, also suffered heavy damage, with frightened passengers sheltering under tables as ceilings collapsed.
Power outages hit parts of western Caracas, schools were closed nationwide, and classrooms were turned into shelters and donation centers. The United States said it would send search-and-rescue teams, medical teams, and humanitarian aid immediately, while other Latin American leaders also offered assistance. Israel said it was preparing a possible aid delegation and was assessing options with relevant authorities. Venezuela, sitting on the boundary between the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates, is not used to frequent quakes; Thursday’s event was its strongest since 1900 and follows earlier major deadly quakes in 1967 and 1812.
