Two devastating earthquakes ripped through Venezuela on Wednesday evening, flattening buildings in Caracas and sparking fears that the disaster could leave up to 100,000 people dead.
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The back-to-back tremors – measured at magnitudes 7.1 and 7.5 by the US Geological Survey (USGS) – struck near the coast, sending terrified residents racing out from swaying apartment blocks as walls collapsed and clouds of dust rose over the capital.
‘High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,’ the USGS said, ‘with an initial death toll estimate likely between 10,000 and 100,000.’
On Thursday morning, Venezuelan authorities said at least 32 people had been killed with at least 700 injured.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez warned the toll was expected to rise as rescuers search collapsed buildings and emergency crews reach devastated areas.
The casualty figures released so far excluded the state of La Guaira, which Rodríguez described as a ‘disaster zone’ and the area hardest hit.
Back in the capital, terrifying footage showed the scale of the destruction that unfolded.
The quakes are among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century although strong earthquakes are unusual in the country.
Emergency workers were seen clambering into the ruins of a collapsed building as night fell, while distraught residents stood outside shattered homes and apartment blocks with entire walls torn away, leaving furniture exposed to the street.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed that buildings and homes had been brought down in the capital.
‘Some buildings have been brought down (in Caracas), houses have collapsed,’ he said on state television.
One witness described cracks racing up the side of their apartment block as the ground buckled, while others fled into the streets and refused to return inside.
In the coastal state of Falcon, Governor Víctor Clark said 32 people had been hospitalized and more than four hours after the earthquake there were still 15 people trapped.
President Donald Trump said the United States was preparing to help Venezuela after the devastation.
‘The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly,’ Trump wrote shortly before midnight. ‘We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good!!!’
The quakes struck while many Venezuelans were at home marking Battle of Carabobo Day, the public holiday commemorating the 1821 victory that helped secure the country’s independence from Spain.
Although the epicenter was on land, the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami waves were possible along the coasts of Venezuela, Bonaire, Curaçao and Aruba.
The first tremor happened at 6:04pm Venezuela time about 17 miles northwest of Montalbán, Venezuela and about 104 miles west of Caracas. The quake had a depth of 8 miles.
A second powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 then struck the country just one minute later, according to the USGS.
The second quake had a depth of 6 miles and its epicenter was 10 miles southwest of the city of Morón, Venezuela.
Columns of dust rose over neighborhoods across Caracas packed with restaurants and businesses as the quakes struck, sending people scrambling for safety.
Entire exterior walls were ripped away from some buildings, leaving furniture and the inside of apartments exposed to the street below.
People remained on the streets for hours, some sitting on the ground hugging pets as dust gathered around them. Collapsed buildings, toppled electric poles and debris blocked streets. Parts of the capital lost power and cellphone signal.
In a brief address to the nation late Wednesday, acting President Delcy Rodríguez said the earthquakes caused damages in several states, but she did not give any figures on the number of homes and buildings affected, or on injuries or fatalities.
Rodríguez, who declared a state of emergency, said subway and natural gas services in Caracas were canceled. She also urged Venezuelans to report any damages through a government app.
The lack of cellphone signal in parts of Venezuela deepened the distress of many families, particularly those among the more than 7.7 million people who have left the country during its protracted crisis.
The earthquakes damaged the country’s main airport, Simón Bolívar International Airport, severely enough to lead to its closure, she said, adding that flights were being canceled for several days.
Rodríguez also said school classes would be canceled for several days. The Ministry of Education said some school buildings would be used as shelters and donation centers.
‘We urge our population to remain calm,’ said Rodríguez, who asked health care professionals to report to hospitals to assist the injured. ‘We urge unity.’
Rodríguez also asked all health care professionals in the country to report to hospitals to assist anyone who was injured. The Ministry of Education late Wednesday said some schools would be used as shelters and donation centers.
While the Venezuela sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates makes earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America.
Along the Pacific coast – in Mexico and Chile, for example – earthquakes are frequent; the two countries sit along the seismically active tectonic belt known as the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire,’ responsible for 90% of earthquakes, according to the USGS.
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