Venezuela Scrambles to Find Thousands Missing After Powerful Twin Quakes

Venezuela is still searching Thursday evening for thousands of missing people after two major earthquakes struck before dawn, leaving many trapped under rubble, some still alive. The official death toll stands at 235, with 1,520 injured, but authorities and seismologists say the numbers are likely to rise sharply. The U.S. Geological Survey warned that the final death toll could exceed 10,000, and officials say 200 trapped survivors are known to be waiting for rescue.

The worst damage was in La Guaira, north of Caracas, where more than 100 buildings were reported destroyed, including a 10-story hotel. Residents there pleaded for faster help, saying rescue crews and heavy equipment were arriving too slowly. One woman told the BBC, "There are people alive in the rubble, and nobody is coming." Another resident, Diana Delgado, said a governor had promised heavy machinery, but it had not yet arrived. The quakes hit at 6:04 p.m. local time, 1:04 a.m. Israel time, 40 seconds apart, in the Moron area on the Caribbean coast, about 170 kilometers west of Caracas.

According to the USGS, the first quake measured 7.2 and was a foreshock to the stronger 7.5 quake, the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than 100 years. The second tremor was felt as far away as Brazil’s Amazon region, about 1,700 kilometers from Caracas. More than 100 aftershocks followed. The shallow depth of the quakes, 22 kilometers and 10 kilometers, worsened the destruction, and the timing during a national holiday meant many people were at home and schools were closed.

Searches continued in Caracas and La Guaira, while many residents slept outdoors or in temporary shelters. The site set up to track missing people said more than 24,000 were reported out of contact, though internet outages may have inflated the figure. Reports also emerged of looting in La Guaira. Venezuela has asked for and begun receiving international help, including U.S., Russian, British, Brazilian, Dutch, Iranian, Vatican, German, Chilean, and possible Israeli assistance. Starlink said it would offer free satellite internet for a month, and X access, blocked since August 2024, appeared to be restored.