Venezuela Twin Earthquakes Kill 164, Leave Nearly 1,000 Injured as Rescue Efforts Intensify

A devastating pair of earthquakes—the strongest to hit Venezuela in over a century—has killed at least 164 people and injured more than 970, with widespread destruction reported near the capital, Caracas, as residents continue searching for missing loved ones.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the country was struck by magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes on Wednesday evening, describing the event as a “doublet earthquake.” The 7.5 tremor is Venezuela’s most powerful since 1900.

Interim president Delcy Rodríguez confirmed Thursday that at least 164 people had died, with the coastal state of La Guaira among the worst affected.

Rescue teams, joined by residents, continued digging through collapsed buildings overnight in search of survivors trapped under rubble.

International aid offers poured in following the disaster, with France, Spain, China, India, Brazil and the United States pledging support. France announced it would send 85 rescuers, while Spain committed 54 military search personnel. The United States said it was deploying emergency response and humanitarian assistance.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington was “immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela.”

According to USGS, the first quake struck at 2204 GMT about 21 kilometers west of Morón, followed seconds later by the stronger 7.5-magnitude quake just 45 kilometers away. “This magnitude 7.5 mainshock was preceded by 39 seconds by a 7.2 foreshock,” the agency said.

In hard-hit areas including La Guaira, entire residential blocks were reduced to rubble, while many neighborhoods lost electricity and communication lines.

“We have nothing, right now we have nothing, not even the strength or the courage to go in there,” said Larry Rojas, 49, standing near a collapsed building in Catia La Mar where his family was trapped.

In Caracas, scenes of panic unfolded as buildings swayed and residents fled into the streets. One AFP journalist reported a 22-storey building completely destroyed in the Altamira district, where volunteers called out names while searching through debris.

“There are people alive in there and no-one is coming to save them,” said a woman waiting for news of her daughter, who was trapped in a collapsed 12-storey building.

Bank worker Odalis Escalona described the moment her building began to collapse. “The stairs came away, the whole wall cracked. Things fell from the ceiling. It was horrible,” she said.

Maiquetía International Airport near Caracas was shut down after authorities reported “serious damage” to infrastructure. Images circulating online showed extensive destruction inside the facility.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello urged residents to evacuate damaged structures and warned of gas-related risks. “We have some damaged structures and we don’t want any kind of accident involving gas to occur,” he said.

Many residents spent the night outdoors, unable to return to their homes. “It was unbelievable, I don’t even know how long it lasted,” said shopkeeper Heidi Romero, who escaped a shopping centre via emergency stairs after the quake struck.

Carmen Guedez, 69, said she was with her bedridden sister when the tremors intensified. “It kept getting stronger,” she recalled. “I started to see the windows begin to move and then everything shook. We couldn’t get out. The neighbors are still out on the street.”

Authorities said the states of Trujillo, Carabobo, Miranda and La Guaira were the worst affected. Tremors were also felt as far as Bogotá, Colombia, where evacuations were triggered and alarms sounded.

Colombian seismologists reported more than 200 tremor alerts and warned that aftershocks were likely across the region.

Venezuela’s most severe modern earthquakes prior to this event occurred in 1997, which killed 73 people, and in 1967 in Caracas, which claimed 236 lives.

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