A severe earthquake struck Venezuela, leaving more than 10,000 people classified as missing or without protection, while rescue teams continue working through complicated disaster sites where trapped victims are still calling for help. The quake caused the collapse of buildings and extensive structural damage in homes across the area, with heavy losses reported among the general population.
In the local Jewish community, the early assessment is being described as a miracle. Despite the scale of the destruction, there have been no reports of Jewish dead, injured, or missing so far. The quake hit unexpectedly during the day, and residents are still struggling to absorb the extent of the damage.
Yehuda, a local Haredi resident in Venezuela whose full name is being withheld for security reasons, told Kikar HaShabbat that the community is in shock. “We are still digesting what happened today,” he said. “We mourn every person who was hurt, this is a great disaster. At the same time, in a way that has no natural explanation, not only is no Jew missing or dead, not even one was injured.”
He said one reason the disaster was not even worse is Venezuela’s building standards, which were shaped by a very strong earthquake 60 years ago. “Since then, the whole construction infrastructure was based on the possibility that it could happen again,” he explained. “So the fact that buildings did not fly one after another, like dozens and hundreds of buildings, is because, naturally, that is the reason.” Even so, he stressed that the current quake was extremely strong and still caused significant damage, including the collapse of several buildings.
