Two powerful earthquakes rock Venezuela, ‘high casualties’ likely as terrifying images show buildings in ruins

Two devastating earthquakes ripped through Venezuela on Wednesday evening, flattening buildings in Caracas and sparking fears that the disaster could leave tens of thousands dead.

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.’

No official number of people killed or injured had been released by Venezuelan authorities by Thursday morning, but terrifying footage showed the scale of the destruction unfolding across the Venezuela capital.

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.

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.

‘We urge our population to remain calm,’ Rodríguez said. ‘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.

Interior Minister Cabello said the quake could be felt in several states, adding that the Altamira neighborhood in Caracas had ‘alarming situations’ with collapsed homes and buildings.

He urged people to remain outside as aftershocks could further damage some structures.

‘We understand that some people may be desperate, but we are acting according to protocols to activate aid and rescue efforts to help those who need it most,’ Cabello said on state television. 

‘Be very careful with children and the elderly; call each other and check that no one has been harmed.’ 

Residents who managed to get our onto the streets shared their experiences.

‘It started off gently and then gradually grew, and in the end, we all had to leave our houses, go outside and gather together,’ Caracas resident Hector Ricci said. 

‘The building really shook from side to side. Unreal. The force was incredibly strong,’ Caracas resident Roberto Damas said. 

‘We were walking and it was tossing us around. Everything in the apartment fell. Well, thank God we were able to get out.’ 

‘As soon as it started, we began hearing people screaming,’ said Astrid Ramirez, a 41-year-old publicist in western Caracas. ‘Everyone was running down the stairs.’

‘There was a very loud crash. Things fell in the house, jugs inside the refrigerator. I’ve never experienced anything like it,’ said Coro Martinez, 56, who lives in eastern Caracas.

Residents in the capital, which was also rocked by a deadly magnitude 6.3 earthquake in 1967, rushed to evacuate as the quake shook buildings.

Maria Romero, an 80-year-old pensioner on the south side of Caracas, said that the police helped her get out. ‘This earthquake was horrible, even worse than the one in 1967,’ she added.

Fire trucks could be seen on the streets in the capital, and the facades of some buildings had suffered significant damage.

One witness said that ​cracks had formed up ​the side of their ⁠apartment and glass in the entryway had shattered. Many residents in Caracas also lost power and internet services.

‘Several walls in my building broke ​open or cracks formed,’ a witness in Valencia, to the west of ​Caracas, told ⁠Reuters. ‘As soon as it stopped (shaking), my husband and I evacuated.’

The US Tsunami Warning System issued ⁠a tsunami threat for Puerto Rico and the Virgin ​Islands following ⁠the earthquake.

The agency advised people in areas near the ocean to get out of the water, off the beach and away from harbors or inlets.

The US embassy in Caracas urged its citizens to avoid damaged areas, not to enter damaged buildings and to seek secure shelter.

‘There are many injured people inside. It’s a disaster,’ one man could be heard saying in footage shot outside a building that had collapsed in San Bernardino, in northern Caracas.

The exiled opposition leader and Nobel laureate, María Corina Machado, wrote on X: ‘My heart, my infinite embrace, and my prayers are with every Venezuelan home in these hours of anguish. May strength, serenity and solidarity prevail among us in the face of this difficult moment.’

Reaction poured in swiftly on social media, with offers of help from various governments including the United States, Chile and El Salvador.

‘The US stands with the Venezuelan people in the aftermath of this evening’s devastating earthquakes,’ U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on X. ‘We’re in touch with the authorities and mobilizing assistance.’

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, once diametrically opposed to Venezuela´s government, said he had offered aid Wednesday night on a post on X.

‘We send you all our solidarity and our prayers. Stay strong, Venezuela,’ Bukele wrote.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people and said he had ordered the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to help respond to the emergency.

‘Ecuador will respond with the speed and commitment this moment demands because, despite our enormous differences, humanity must always guide the actions of a leader,’ Noboa wrote.

Buildings in Manaus, Belem and Macapá in Brazil’s Amazon were evacuated, according to reports on TV Globo.

The quakes also were felt in Colombia´s Caribbean and northeast regions, but there were no reports of damages or injuries.