Home · World · Jun 24 archive
Twin M7+ earthquakes strike Venezuela near Caracas
Developing
What we know
Two powerful back-to-back earthquakes — magnitude 7.2 followed within about a minute by magnitude 7.5 — struck northern Venezuela shortly after 6 p.m. local time Wednesday, collapsing buildings in Caracas and coastal communities, sending residents into the streets, and prompting a national emergency declaration.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said in a late-Wednesday address that damage spanned several states, ordered Simón Bolívar International Airport closed, canceled subway and natural-gas service in Caracas, and asked health workers to report to hospitals. She did not yet release national fatality or injury totals. Falcón’s governor reported dozens hospitalized and people still trapped hours after the shocks. Shaking was felt as far as Brazil’s Amazon; brief tsunami alerts were later lifted.
What's confirmed
- USGS: M7.2 foreshock then M7.5 mainshock near Venezuela’s Caribbean coast Wednesday evening; among strongest in Venezuela in more than a century (AP/CNN/CBS).
- Rodríguez: state of emergency; airport closed; schools canceled for several days; health professionals urged to hospitals (AP/CBS).
- Collapsed walls and buildings reported in Caracas neighborhoods; power and cellphone outages in parts of the capital; Falcón officials: 32 hospitalized, 15 still trapped hours later (AP).
- U.S., El Salvador, Ecuador and others offered or mobilized assistance Wednesday night; shaking prompted evacuations in Brazilian Amazon cities (AP/CBS).
What's still developing
- National death and injury tallies as overnight searches continue in collapsed buildings.
- Full scale of damage in La Guaira and other coastal districts hardest hit by the shallow mainshock.
Sources
- AP News — Back-to-back powerful earthquakes hit Venezuela, collapsing buildings in Caracas link
- CNN — Venezuela Earthquake: What we know about the biggest quake in more than a century link
- CBS News — Venezuela earthquakes cause widespread damage, hundreds dead or injured, officials say link
- BBC News — Venezuela earthquakes in maps and charts link