At least 235 people were killed when two major earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening, the country's health authorities have confirmed. The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude tremors reduced entire blocks to debris, leaving rescuers digging through pulverised concrete in Caracas.
Photographer Manu Quintero, speaking from the capital to Channel 4 News Europe editor Matt Frei, described the moment the ground shifted. “Building after building collapsing,” he said. The scene, he added, was one of “complete devastation”.
“At least 235 dead after twin 7.2 and 7.5 quakes hit Venezuela; rescuers search rubble”
The BBC’s Vanessa Silva, also in Caracas, reported that rescue teams were still searching through the rubble a day after the quakes. No official update on the number of missing has been provided, but the death toll is expected to rise.
The first tremor, measured at 7.2, struck as evening fell, catching many indoors. Minutes later, a second 7.5 magnitude quake brought down already weakened structures. The double blow left little time for escape.
Across the city, dazed survivors gathered in streets littered with glass and twisted metal. Sirens wailed as emergency crews worked through the night under floodlights. The health ministry confirmed the 235 fatalities but did not specify how many were injured.
Quintero, who documented the aftermath, said the scale of destruction was hard to process. “You see this, and you don’t know where to start,” he told Frei.
Caracas, a city of steep hills and densely packed neighbourhoods, is particularly vulnerable to landslides triggered by strong shaking. The full extent of the damage in outlying districts remains unclear, as communications are down in several areas.
The earthquakes are among the strongest to hit Venezuela in decades, and come as the country grapples with a deep economic crisis. Hospitals, already short of medicines and power, are now overwhelmed with casualties.
For now, the focus is on those still trapped. “We just pray,” Quintero said, standing near a collapsed apartment block where voices could be heard from beneath the rubble.