Thousands of Venezuelans were feared dead on Thursday after two powerful earthquakes wreaked havoc in and around the capital Caracas, trapping people beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings and setting off powerful aftershocks.
The magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160 kilometres west of Caracas in Morón on the Caribbean coast, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. In an early Thursday morning update, acting President Delcy Rodriguez said at least 164 people had been confirmed dead, with 971 injured.
The death toll did not include those from worst-affected La Guaira state on the northwestern coast, city’s airport, where social media footage from witnesses showed scenes of panic as ceilings came down.
“La Guaira state is a true tragedy, and has become a disaster zone,” said Rodriguez.
Emergency workers scrambled over the debris of a collapsed building in Caracas as night fell, while distraught relatives sought help for loved ones feared trapped. Several dazed survivors were taken away, some on stretchers.
“When we went downstairs, the scene was like a horror movie,” said Maria Alejandra, a resident from a nearby building, who did not give her surname.
“We had to climb over the rubble and everything. The building superintendent with the baby and all the neighbours coming down. But from that building, I only saw that one family got out.”
The quakes were the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century. Aftershocks continued to rattle the capital into the early hours of Thursday.
“Dozens of buildings have collapsed, and we are currently carrying out very intense rescue efforts to save as many lives as God allows us to save,” Rodriguez said in an appearance on state television just before 1 a.m. local time.
The USGS, using predictive modelling to estimate the death toll, said it would most likely run into the thousands, with a substantial probability of exceeding 10,000.
A website set up to track missing people and posted on X by leaders from the country’s opposition, many of whom are outside the country, listed more than 6,600 people as unaccounted for soon after 2 a.m. local time.
“As soon as it started, we began hearing people screaming,” said Astrid Ramirez, a 41-year-old publicist in western Caracas. “Everyone was running down the stairs.”
U.S., other countries offer assistance
Many Venezuelans were at home when the quakes struck during the afternoon on a public holiday.
“There was a very loud crash. Things fell in the house, jugs inside the refrigerator. I’ve never experienced anything like it,” said Coro Martinez, 56, who lives in eastern Caracas.
At Caracas’s Hospital de Clinicas, staff were asked to double up on the night shift to help treat the injured, a worker there said. Video filmed at the hospital showed a darkened hallway with ceiling panels hanging by cables and pieces of plaster scattered across the floor.
The country is focused on rescue efforts, including the arrival in the coming hours of rescue crews from other countries, she said, as she thanked leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump. Rodriguez was elevated to power after the U.S. military seized autocratic Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in a violent raid in January.
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said in a post on X early Thursday that the United States is “immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela.”
Rodriguez also said that Qatar, Mexico and El Salvador had already sent rescue personnel.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people and said he had ordered the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to help respond to the emergency.
The U.S. embassy in Caracas said it was closely monitoring the aftermath of the quake and urged citizens in the country to seek secure shelter and avoid damaged areas.
Canada does not have an embassy in Caracas given the longstanding political turmoil of the Maduro era, with consular services offered out of Bogota. Global Affairs Canada urged any Canadians in Venezuela to follow the instructions of local authorities and monitor local media for updates on the situation.
Lost power, internet
Many residents in Caracas lost power or internet service right after the quake. The lack of cellphone signal in parts of Venezuela deepened the distress of many families, particularly those among the more than 7.7 million people who have left the country during its protracted crisis.
The Venezuelan Red Cross said its headquarters had been critically damaged but that it had sent rescue teams to the worst-affected areas, warning of the risks posed by strong aftershocks. France said its embassy had been badly damaged.
Simon Bolivar Airport in Maiquetia, near Caracas, was closed because of damage and that classes would be cancelled for several days, with some school buildings to be used as shelters.
In the coastal state of Falcon, Gov. Víctor Clark said 32 people had been hospitalized and more than four hours after the earthquake there were still 15 people trapped.
In Chacao, an eastern Caracas municipality, Mayor Gustavo Duque told broadcaster Globovision that two structures had collapsed, 16 people were injured and that there were deaths, too, though he gave no figure for fatalities.
“We’re going to do everything we can to rescue the most people possible,” he said.
One witness said cracks had formed up the side of their apartment and that glass in the entryway had shattered. Power went down shortly after, the witness said.
“Several walls in my building broke open or cracks formed,” a witness in Valencia, to the west of Caracas, told Reuters. “As soon as it stopped [shaking], my husband and I evacuated [the building].”
Venezuela Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the quake could be felt in several states, adding that the Altamira neighbourhood in Caracas had “alarming situations” with collapsed homes and buildings.
Cabello asked motorists to clear the way for ambulances and other emergency vehicles.
“We understand that some people may be desperate, but we are acting according to protocols to activate aid and rescue efforts to help those who need it most,” Cabello said on state television. “Be very careful with children and the elderly; call each other and check that no one has been harmed.”
Venezuela lies in a seismically active zone where the Caribbean Plate meets the South American Plate.
An estimated 30,000 people were killed when a powerful quake caused widespread destruction in the cities of Merida and Caracas in 1812, according to the USGS.
