A day after twin earthquakes tore through northern Venezuela, the human cost is coming into sharper focus: at least 164 people are confirmed dead and 971 injured, acting President Delcy Rodríguez said early Thursday. Officials stressed those numbers will climb as crews reach more flattened buildings — and they do not yet account for the coastal state hit hardest of all.
The two shocks, measured by the USGS at magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 (some outlets logged the first at 7.1), struck 39 seconds apart on Wednesday evening near the Yaracuy coast, roughly 100 miles west of Caracas. They rank among the strongest to hit the country in over a century.
