Venezuela has been thrown into chaos after two powerful earthquakes struck the north-central part of the country, shaking the capital Caracas and causing severe destruction in nearby coastal areas.
The earthquakes struck within less than a minute of each other on Wednesday evening. The first was measured at magnitude 7.2, followed by a stronger magnitude 7.5 tremor. The epicentre was reported west of Caracas, near Morón, along Venezuela’s Caribbean coast.
The US Geological Survey has warned that fatalities could run into the thousands, with a significant probability that the death toll may exceed 10,000. The figures remain uncertain, but the scale of the destruction already points to one of Venezuela’s worst natural disasters in modern history.
The worst-hit area appears to be La Guaira, the coastal state adjoining Caracas and home to the country’s main international airport. Venezuelan authorities have declared the area a disaster zone after reports that dozens, and possibly hundreds, of buildings collapsed.
Caracas was also badly shaken. Buildings cracked, residents fled into the streets, and emergency workers were seen searching through the rubble of collapsed structures. Local officials reported deaths in several districts of the capital, while hospitals were placed under heavy pressure by the number of injured people arriving through the night.
Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, declared a state of emergency and warned that the initial casualty figures did not include the full scale of losses in La Guaira. She said rescue operations were continuing and urged people to stay away from damaged buildings amid fears that aftershocks could bring down weakened structures.
Around 30 aftershocks have already been reported. The metro and train systems were halted, while Simón Bolívar International Airport was closed after suffering severe damage. The closure of the airport is expected to complicate emergency operations and the arrival of foreign aid.
International assistance is now being mobilised. The United States said it was ready to send search-and-rescue teams, medical resources and humanitarian supplies. Spain and France also indicated that rescue teams could be deployed.
The disaster has struck a country already weakened by years of political instability, economic collapse and crumbling public infrastructure. Many buildings in Venezuela are vulnerable to seismic damage, and emergency services are poorly equipped to respond to a catastrophe of this scale.
The destruction in La Guaira is especially alarming because the region has a long history of disaster. The area, formerly known as Vargas, was devastated in 1999 by floods and landslides that killed thousands. Now the same region is again at the centre of a national tragedy.
For now, the official death toll remains provisional. The real figure will only become clearer once rescue teams reach the worst-affected zones and recover those still buried under collapsed buildings.
Newsroom
Leave a Reply