Israeli Resident in Caracas Describes Fear and Ruin After Venezuela Earthquakes

Two strong earthquakes hit Venezuela on Thursday evening at about 6:00 p.m. local time, causing major damage in the capital, Caracas, and heavy destruction along the coast. Reported magnitudes included 7.1 and 7.5. Beni Mizrahi, an Israeli living in Caracas, told Sarah Beck that the quake left buildings collapsed, injured and dead were being pulled from the rubble, and people in affected areas were terrified to return home because of repeated aftershocks.

Mizrahi said the lamp in his room fell and nearly struck him. “It was really scary,” he said. He added that a building next to his was completely destroyed, smoke was still visible there, and “they are finding dead and injured there.” He also reported sea-level rise and tsunami waves in coastal areas that swept through many buildings. According to him, there were about 30 to 40 aftershocks after the main event, making residents fear that more structures could collapse. “The problem now is the aftershocks. People are afraid to go into apartments,” he said.

He criticized the authorities and the flow of information, saying the extent of the damage was still unclear. “The rescue forces are not that good, and the communication is not that good either,” he said, adding that news was coming mainly from social media videos. “People are talking about hundreds of dead, but we do not have numbers. Everyone here is in shock.”

Mizrahi said Caracas’s Jewish community quickly organized shelter and food. About 200 to 300 people slept in the Jewish club after the quake, while Rabbi Yitzhak Cohen led relief efforts and the organization Keren Ezra provided for needs. Although the local kosher store and private homes were damaged, no injuries were reported among Jews. Mizrahi also said the community has generally felt safe despite Venezuela’s ties with Iran and the Arab world, with police and guards always present at synagogues and schools. He noted that political change has not yet been felt economically or socially, and closed the interview by saying, “If God wills it, in two months I will arrive in Israel.”