Two major earthquakes struck north-central Venezuela about 40 seconds apart on Wednesday evening, collapsing buildings in Caracas and along the Caribbean coast and sending rescue crews into the rubble well after dark.
The U.S. Geological Survey logged the first shock at magnitude 7.2 and a second, stronger one at 7.5, both shallow at roughly 10 kilometers deep — a pairing that tends to amplify damage at the surface, per CBC. Reporting on the opening tremor varied: the USGS settled on 7.2, but several early bulletins logged it as 7.1. The epicenters clustered in the Yaracuy–Carabobo region between roughly 100 and 170 kilometers west of the capital, near the towns of San Felipe, Morón, Yumare and Montalbán.
A casualty count still taking shape.
Officials had not released a national death toll by early Thursday. The most conservative confirmed figures report one person killed and more than 100 injured. Local tallies hinted at more: Falcón's governor said dozens were hospitalized and 15 people remained trapped hours later, while Chacao's mayor reported two buildings down and 16 hurt. Those numbers sit far below the USGS computer model, which — as a probability estimate, not a body count — flagged a potential range from 10,000 to 100,000 deaths. The agency warned that "High casualties and extensive damage are probable". Patchy cell and power coverage, plus Venezuela's tightly restricted media, are slowing verification.
In Caracas, CNN geolocated footage showing at least three partial collapses in the affluent eastern districts around Altamira, plus heavy damage in the coastal town of Catia La Mar, where structures slid down a hillside. Los Palos Grandes and Chacao also reported building failures. The capital is especially vulnerable because it sits in a deep sedimentary basin that intensifies shaking. Many residents were home for a public holiday marking the 1821 victory that sealed independence from Spain.
Aftershocks and the government's response
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency and said close to two dozen aftershocks had already hit. She shut the damaged Simón Bolívar International Airport, canceled classes for several days, ordered health workers to report to hospitals, and designated some schools as shelters and donation points. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said police and firefighters were fully deployed and urged people to stay outdoors, since aftershocks can finish off weakened structures. Washington pledged search-and-rescue teams and medical supplies through Venezuela's interim government, NBC reported.
USGS seismologist Paul Earle put the odds of a magnitude-6 or larger aftershock within a week at about 40%, with a smaller jolt all but certain — the basis for officials telling people to avoid cracked buildings. Caltech's Lucy Jones cautioned that dense urban quakes can rupture gas lines and water mains, sparking fires that crews then can't douse. She added that the two ruptures hit separate fault systems, so neither triggered the other.
Beyond Venezuela
The shaking reached neighboring Colombia's Caribbean and northeast, with no reported damage there. Brief tsunami advisories went out for Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire, then were lifted within about an hour.
One Caracas survivor told CNN the scene was "like a horror movie." These rank among the strongest quakes to hit Venezuela in over a century — a country that straddles the Caribbean and South American plates yet rarely sees shocks this size.
