Back-to-back earthquakes shake Venezuela, claims 32 lives

At least 32 people are confirmed dead and around 700 others are injured after two powerful, consecutive earthquakes struck northern Venezuela within a minute of each other. The catastrophic twin seismic events began shortly after 18:00 local time on Wednesday, a national holiday commemorating the 1821 Battle of Carabobo, meaning an unusually high number of residents were at home when their apartments began violently shaking.

The first earthquake registered a 7.2 magnitude with its epicentre in San Felipe, Yaracuy, and was immediately followed 39 seconds later by a stronger 7.5 magnitude quake near Yumare. The US Geological Survey notes that the massive tremors occurred due to shallow strike-slip faulting where the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates meet, warning of a 44% chance that fatalities could ultimately exceed 10,000 as rescue operations expand.

Buildings across the capital city of Caracas collapsed or suffered compromised structures, forcing terrified residents to flee into the streets to wait out the night in the open. Emergency crews are desperately searching through the rubble of multi-storey structures, including a completely disintegrated building in Los Palos Grandes and a five-flat residential block in the northern suburb of San Bernardino, where search teams are working to extract survivors calling for help from beneath the debris.

The hardest-hit areas span the northern coast, including La Guaira, Aragua, Carabobo, and Falcón, with structural damage reported in multiple states. In Caracas, parts of walls fell, utility poles toppled, and the power grid failed, leaving entire neighbourhoods dark and without communication signals. Train and metro services are suspended until further notice, and school classes remain cancelled for the rest of the week. Major transport infrastructure also suffered, with Maiquetía International Airport closing after columns of dust billowed down and parts of the ceiling collapsed, forcing travellers to shield themselves and flee through the corridors.

The country faces a state of national emergency to manage the widespread disaster, with a general designated to oversee the response framework. Authorities preemptively cut petrol and gas supplies to several compromised buildings to prevent any secondary fire hazards while more than 20 aftershocks continue to rattle the region. International aid is being deployed immediately, with the United States dispatching specialized search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian supplies. Offers of solidarity and immediate equipment logistics arrived from across Latin America, including 50 tonnes of supplies from El Salvador, alongside support packages from Ecuador, Mexico, and Brazil.

Local mayors report that structural assessments are ongoing, with emergency centres established in public squares like Plaza Altamira to provide displaced residents with water, shelter, and information regarding missing relatives.

-BBC