Two powerful earthquakes shake Venezuela and cause numerous deaths

BarcelonaTwo powerful earthquakes, separated by only 39 seconds, have struck Venezuela overnight, causing a tragedy of great proportions. For now, the Venezuelan government has confirmed the deaths of 32 people, and also speaks of 700 injured. According to calculations by the United States Geological Survey, however, the death toll could be between 10,000 and 100,000 people. The two quakes, 7.2 magnitude for the first and 7.5 for the second, have mainly affected the center of the country, but were also felt in the capital, Caracas. As a consequence of the two tremors, numerous buildings and structures have collapsed, leaving a trail of death and destruction.

The images arriving from various parts of the country's north are worrying. Entire apartment blocks reduced to rubble and extensively damaged infrastructure make up a large part of Venezuela's urban landscape this Thursday. Delcy Rodríguez, president of the country, has declared a state of emergency. The US president, Donald Trump, who has unilaterally overseen the country since the January attack, has spoken of a "devastating" number of deaths. Nicolás Maduro, imprisoned in Washington, has published a message written on X in which he calls for "maximum unity, maximum solidarity, and maximum action." "May each community take care of its children, its grandparents, its sick," he asks Venezuelans.

Proof of the magnitude and consequences of the earthquake is that the epicenter has been in the state of Carabobo, about 300 kilometers from Caracas, but the damage has been felt very strongly in the capital, where numerous buildings have collapsed, and also in the states of Miranda, Falcón, and La Guaira. The country's main airport had to close after suffering serious damage.

La Guaira, "disaster zone"

The most affected state by the tragedy is La Guaira, north of Caracas. The Venezuelan president, Delcy Rodríguez, has defined it as a "disaster zone". In fact, it is there that the concern is most extreme, as the first balance of dead and injured does not include this area, where there are "dozens of collapsed buildings". The region, which has half a million inhabitants and until 2019 was called Vargas, is located on the coast, 30 kilometers from the capital, and is known for its paradisiacal beaches. A source from the humanitarian sector tells EFE that there are already some victims reporting "a considerable amount" of deaths in La Guaira.

This area is the main entry point to the country, as it is where Simón Bolívar International Airport is located and also leads Venezuela's port activity. The double earthquake occurred around 6 p.m. on Wednesday, causing thousands of people to spend the night in the street, both in La Guaira and in the rest of the affected states, either for fear of new aftershocks or because their homes had been affected. The night complicated the work of emergency services, who are searching for buried victims among the rubble of collapsed buildings.

The earthquakes of the last few hours are the most serious of this century. The last one was in 1997 in the state of Sucre, where 73 deaths and hundreds of injuries were recorded. Before that, in 1967, an earthquake of magnitude 6.6 left 245 dead and almost a century ago, in 1929, another earthquake of magnitude 6.9 caused a tsunami that claimed the lives of 800 people.

International support

Several countries have already offered aid to Venezuela. From Catalonia, President Salvador Illa has assured that the Generalitat has activated cooperation mechanisms to send "the necessary aid." Regarding Spain, Pedro Sánchez has shown his support for the country and has made the resources of the embassy and the consulate in Caracas available: "Our thoughts are with the victims," he published on X. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, has offered the help of the Military Emergencies Unit (UME) and explained that "for the moment" there is no record of Spanish citizens among the dead and injured, although it is not ruled out given the magnitude of the disaster. The same ministry has made two consular emergency telephone numbers available to assist those affected. They are +34 91 000 1249 from Spain and +58 424-2090264 in the Latin American country.

In a message on the Truth Social network, Trump said he has instructed "all government agencies to help quickly." Also, the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, has assured that her country has responded to the call made by Delcy Rodríguez, who requested specialized rescue personnel, and the President of Brazil, Lula da Silva, has said that the country is evaluating assistance measures to support Venezuela. Other states, such as Belgium, China, France, Portugal, or Italy, have expressed their condolences and offered help in the face of the catastrophe.