The first tremor struck at 7.2 magnitude. Thirty-nine seconds later, a second quake of 7.5 ripped through the same ground. In Caracas, buildings that had stood for decades buckled and fell.
Volunteers, medics and relatives raced to the Altamira area, where a block of flats called Residencias Obelisco had collapsed. “I live far away,” said José Morillo, arriving on his motorbike. “I came here riding my motorbike as fast as I could.”
“At least 32 dead and 700 injured after twin earthquakes of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude collapse buildings in Caracas.”
The back-to-back earthquakes late on Wednesday evening sent residents running into the streets across the capital. In the Baruta district, three people died when two buildings caved in. In neighbouring Chacao, four structures were completely destroyed; one person was killed and 22 taken to hospital. In the coastal state of Falcón, officials reported 35 injured, two in serious condition, and 15 adults still missing.
Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, declared a nationwide state of emergency and said at least 32 people had been killed and 700 injured. The country’s main international airport was closed due to severe damage.
Rodríguez said rescue teams from other countries were arriving in the coming hours. She thanked Donald Trump for his offer of assistance.
The US Geological Survey warned that there was a 44 per cent chance the final death toll could exceed 10,000. Rescue workers, many using their bare hands, searched rubble for survivors. In the San Bernardino district, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, son of the former president, spoke from the site of one collapsed building. “We saw the interim president declare exceptional measures today due to this tragedy that we are witnessing in our country,” he said, adding that officials had received reports of four building collapses in the capital alone.
María José del Pino, a local in the northern town of Chivacoa, described the moment the earthquake hit. “I felt the earthquake while I was having a snack with my children, and I heard a loud noise; I thought it was a truck parking outside,” she said. “But soon everything started shaking: people were running through the streets in fear, and some were screaming. We’re still out on the street; we don’t want to go back inside our homes for fear they might collapse, because the structures of many houses in Venezuela are fragile.”
As night fell over Caracas, rescuers continued to dig through the debris, the number of confirmed dead still rising.