Several dead and 700 injured as huge double earthquake in Venezuela sees buildings collapse

Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday, with the second measuring 7.5 magnitude with several dead and more than 700 injured throughout the capital city

Powerful back-to-back earthquakes that struck Venezuela overnight have killed at least 32 people and injured at least 700, the nation’s acting president said, as communities across the South American country sustained damage.

The double strikes brought down buildings in the capital Caracas and sparked terror at a nearby airport. The US Geological Survey reported the initial earthquake registered a magnitude of 7.1 with its epicentre situated west of the town of Morón, positioned along the nation’s Caribbean coastline, approximately 104 miles west of Caracas.

The tremor occurred at a depth of eight miles. Minutes afterwards the USGS confirmed an even stronger 7.5-magnitude earthquake had also hit, at a depth of six miles with the epicentre 10 miles southwest of Morón.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez warned the toll was expected to rise as rescuers search collapsed buildings and emergency crews reach devastated areas after the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck shortly after 6 p.m.

Rodríguez declared a state of emergency in an address to the nation late Wednesday and said the quakes caused damage in several states. The casualty figures released early Thursday excluded the state of La Guaira, which Rodríguez described as a “disaster zone” and the area hardest hit.

“Dozens of buildings have collapsed there, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Caracas, and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,” she said.

Video clips spreading across social media show people in terror at an airport close to the Venezuelan capital after consecutive earthquakes. Destruction has been confirmed at Simon Bolivar Airport in Maiquetia.

Building collapses are now being confirmed in multiple districts of Caracas, including in the municipality of Naguanagua. Accounts of internet and mobile tower failures are also emerging.

Social media accounts suggest that people are trapped beneath the debris of fallen buildings in Falcón, Tucacas and in the Los Palos Grandes district of Caracas, where it is understood that search and rescue efforts are now in progress after a multi-storey building collapsed.

Following the earthquake, a tsunami advisory was issued, warning of potential hazardous tsunami waves for coasts within 300 kilometres of the quake’s epicentre.

A tsunami alert and evacuation are now in progress in Lomas de Urdaneta.

Reports of a landslide in Montalban are also emerging in the aftermath of Wednesday evening’s earthquake in Venezuela.

Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed that the tremor was felt across multiple states. He further noted that in the Altamira district of Caracas, “alarming” situations were reported, with accounts suggesting that homes and buildings had collapsed.

He encouraged the public to stay outdoors, as aftershocks likely to follow could inflict additional damage to some structures. Wednesday’s earthquakes are among the most powerful to have hit Venezuela in over a century.

In 1900, the San Narciso earthquake registered a magnitude of 7.6, and the 2018 Sucre earthquake recorded a magnitude of 7.3. The shakes have been experienced in neighbouring Colombia, particularly in the Caribbean region and the northeast of the country, however no damage or casualties have been reported.

The Colombian Maritime Authority clarified in a statement that there is no tsunami warning for Colombia’s Caribbean coast.