Thousands feared dead after double earthquake in Venezuela

Two of the strongest earthquakes in Venezuela’s history rocked the country’s north on Wednesday evening, trapping residents as buildings cracked and crumbled.

A 7.2-magnitude quake struck near San Felipe city, west of the capital Caracas, followed less than a minute later by a more powerful 7.5-magnitude tremor, in a rare seismic event known as a “doublet earthquake”. Caracas was rattled by at least 20 aftershocks on Wednesday night. 

Officials were yet to confirm how many people were killed or injured. But Paul Earle, a seismologist from the US Geological Survey (USGS) warned that the quakes, and ongoing aftershocks and landslides, could cause more than 1,000 deaths, “to potentially tens of thousands”.

In a late-night address to the nation, Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela’s interim president, declared a state of emergency and ordered all doctors and nurses to report for duty. 

“We extend our condolences to those who have unfortunately suffered the loss of a family member,” Ms Rodriguez said in her televised speech, without commenting on the number of fatalities.

The US and El Salvador began sending medical supplies to Caracas as well as rescue workers to help search for survivors. 

Donald Trump confirmed the quakes had “left a devastating number of deaths” as he promised the US “stands ready, willing, and able to help”.

“I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good,”  the US president said on his Truth social media page. 

Venezuelans had rushed from buildings when the tremors began shortly after 6pm local time (11pm UK time), with people in Caracas seen running through the streets while around them cracks appeared in the walls of homes and offices. Concrete and glass scattered across the road as they evacuated.

Shocked residents shared video of paramedics attending to the injured who were placed on to stretchers, as rescue workers searched through dust and debris for more survivors. It was not immediately clear how many people were trapped in damaged buildings.

Other videos captured the panic of people screaming for their loved ones outside destroyed homes and hotels, while others ran through the streets clutching their children as they searched for family members.

Passengers inside Maiquetía International Airport filmed their frantic efforts to find safety when debris fell from the ceiling of the terminal. The airport remained closed after suffering extensive damage, Ms Rodriguez confirmed during her national address.

USGS said the 7.5-magnitude earthquake occurred 39 seconds after the first, describing it as the “main shock in a double event”.

“The USGS assesses that high casualties and damage are probable, and that the disaster is likely widespread,” its preliminary advice said.

Jeremy Lewin, the US acting under secretary for foreign assistance, said Washington had “already mobilised a disaster assistance team and task force to deliver and coordinate critical assistance”. 

“Working with our partners in the interim Venezuelan government, the US will be sending search and rescue teams, medical and humanitarian supplies and other resources in the crucial first days after this tragic natural disaster,” Mr Lewin announced on X.

Christopher Landau, the US deputy secretary ‌of state, said: “The US stands with the Venezuelan people in the aftermath of this evening’s devastating earthquakes.”

Nayib Bukele, El Salvador’s president, said his government had 300 rescuers and paramedics, along with medical equipment and essential supplies, “ready to depart for Caracas”.

Ms Roriguez thanked the international community for offers of support and said she would ask multilateral organisations to help fund rescue efforts. 

The tremors damaged infrastructure in the impoverished countrywhere power outages and communications disruptions are already a recurring challenge, raising fears that local people would not have access to emergency information.

There had been disruptions on Wednesday to some electricity supplies in the north of the country as well as water supply issues in parts of Caracas, Falćon, Yaracuy, Zulia and La Guaira, Ms Rodriguez said. The government had shut off the domestic gas supply as a matter of precaution, she said.

Railway and metro services were also suspended, and schools were ordered to close their doors on Thursday.

María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s exiled opposition leader, said she prayed for every Venezuelan.

“May strength, serenity, and solidarity prevail among us in the face of this difficult moment,” Ms Machado said in a post on X.

“May God protect every Venezuelan, our families, and our homes. Today, more united than ever.”

Edmundo González, the country’s exiled former opposition leader, in a social media post that families abroad were struggling to find out whether their relatives were hurt.

“Two consecutive earthquakes have caused significant damage in Venezuela. Collapsed structures. Panic in the streets. Two hours later, we still don’t know if there are victims or fatalities,” said Mr González in a post on X.

“Venezuelans abroad can’t know if their families are okay.

“Those inside don’t grasp the magnitude of what happened. The uncertainty becomes another layer of anguish, and it’s not a network outage: it’s the systematic and prolonged blockade of information that Venezuelans endure.”

Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s interior minister, urged residents to evacuate and stay outdoors, amid fears structures could collapse during aftershocks.

“We are calling on the public to leave their homes and buildings, as several structures sustained damage during the initial earthquake,” Mr Cabello said.

“Subsequent aftershocks will exploit those structural weaknesses.”

Photos and videos shared to social media showed some apartment buildings had partially collapsed or cracked, while others were reduced to rubble.

One photograph taken by an Agence France-Presse journalist in Caracas showed the offices of Bancaribe, a private bank, severely damaged.

More than 500 emergency workers were trying to rescue people trapped in collapsed and damaged buildings in the Chacao municipality of Caracas, the local mayor reported.

So far, at least 18 people had been rescued, Gustavo Duque added in a video posted on social media.

In Baruta, a suburb of Caracas, Darwin González, the mayor, shared video of a woman being carried from the rubble of a destroyed building.

“The call is for calm and civility in these moments,” Mr González wrote.

Valencia resident Luisa Martínez, 68, described the “horrifying” moment her home began to creak.

“I felt the most terrified I have ever felt in my entire life,” she told The New York Times.

“The noise, the windows slamming open and shut, and everything creaking like never before – it was horrifying. My husband, my son, and I hugged each other and I started to pray, crying out to God to save us.”

Another Valencia resident, Josefina Hernández, 48, told the newspaper: “People were frantic, screaming – I mean, it was terrifying, because people were just pouring out saying, ‘What is this?’”

The epicentre of the most powerful earthquake was about 14 miles south-east of San Felipe, a city of about 220,000 in the state of Yaracuy, the USGS said.

The 7.5-magnitude quake measured six miles deep, while the first was approximately 12 miles deep. Shallow earthquakes are typically the most destructive, more so if the epicentre is close to populous areas.

Aftershocks were expected to cause significant shaking and landslides in northern Venezuela were likely, the USGS warned.

The US Tsunami Warning System immediately issued a tsunami threat ​for Puerto ​Rico ⁠and the US and British Virgin Islands.

Hazardous waves could endanger the islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire⁠, off the coast of Venezuela, the warning said.

The tsunami alert was cancelled less than two hours later.

The emergency occurred about the same time as a 6.9-magnitude earthquake was recorded on the other side of the world, in northern Japan. 

The earthquake in Japan occurred off the Pacific coast of Iwate Prefecture at a depth of 50 miles, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

There were no reports of deaths following that quake and Japan’s nuclear power facilities were not damaged, Minoru Kihara, Tokyo’s chief cabinet secretary, said in a news conference.

Earlier on Wednesday, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake shook Redwood Valley, north of San Francisco in California. 

About 7,400 homes and businesses were without power after the tremor at 8am local time. Tacking data on poweroutage.com showed electricity services were restored by the afternoon. 

[Source: Daily Telegraph]