Twin 7.2 And 7.5 Earthquakes Kill At Least 188 In Venezuela, Rescuers Search Rubble

Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela within about a minute of each other on Wednesday, collapsing buildings in Caracas and the port city of La Guaira and killing at least 188 people, according to the country’s National Assembly president.

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The BBC reported that the death toll had risen to 188 as rescuers searched rubble for survivors, while CNN said the second quake was Venezuela’s most powerful in more than a century.

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In Caracas, residents described being trapped as buildings began “moving from one side to another,” and Jesus Armas told the BBC’s World Service that “There were buildings collapsing everywhere in Caracas.”

The Washington Post said the quakes included a 7.2-magnitude quake followed by another at 7.5 magnitude, and it quoted the U.S. Geological Survey saying “high casualties and damage are probable,” estimating a significant chance of fatalities rising into the thousands.

As rescue efforts stretched through Thursday, the BBC said several UN agencies and the NRC were already present in Venezuela, “doing assessments and waiting for more support to come in,” while CNN said the United Nations was coordinating urban search-and-rescue teams.

The U.S. response was described in multiple ways, with the BBC citing a regional Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) deploying two specialised urban search-and-rescue teams and CNN saying the U.S. deployed elite rescue teams as Venezuela received aid from the UN, Latin American neighbors and the Vatican.

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Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez met with the army’s general staff to coordinate urgent relief measures for La Guaira state, and the BBC said they would mobilise state security forces as well as heavy machinery to remove large amount of debris.

Jorge Rodríguez, president of the national assembly, told reporters that 1,520 victims had been taken to hospital for treatment, while CNN reported that at least 157 people were still missing and almost 3,000 families were impacted.

The BBC also quoted Stine Paus of the Norwegian Refugee Council saying, “There are huge needs for international support,” as the agency described shelter, water and sanitation, and psychological support as priorities.

The Guardian said more than 100 buildings collapsed in La Guaira, and it reported that the worst affected regions also included Caracas, Miranda, Aragua, Carabobo and Falcón, with a state of emergency declared by Delcy Rodríguez.

CBS News reported that at least 188 people were killed and some 1,500 injured, and it said the toll was likely to keep rising as rescuers continued and emergency crews raced to access devastated areas.

In the aftermath, the BBC described people trapped in places such as the 18th floor of their tower block or the fourth floor of a car park basement when the earthquake struck, while Alirio Hernandez was four storeys underground in a basement car park when the pillars began to shake.

The Washington Post said the hardest-hit region was La Guaira, describing it as “a disaster zone,” and it reported that Rodríguez announced the suspension of train and metro service and the cancellation of classes in the upcoming days.

CNN added that many displaced residents had nowhere to go after their homes were flattened in La Guaira, the capital Caracas and surrounding areas, as Médecins Sans Frontières said many people gathered in public spaces with backpacks and whatever items they managed to grab.