Venezuela was struck by two massive earthquakes back-to-back on Wednesday, June 24, causing widespread destruction in the capital city of Caracas and nearby areas.
The first one, which the US Geological Survey (USGS) labeled a “foreshock,” was felt at 6:04 p.m. local time near San Felipe and was recorded at magnitude 7.2 on the Richter Scale.
Less than a minute later, at 6:05 p.m., the “mainshock,” measuring magnitude 7.5 and occurring at a depth of 10km, originated near Yumare, roughly 180 miles west of Caracas.
More than 20 aftershocks have been felt since the second one hit, according to the BBC.
Buildings collapsed across the entire belt, which lies along the northern coastline of the South American country on the Caribbean Sea, affecting states of La Guaira, Aragua, Carabobo, and Falcón the most.
The local media currently reports 700 injured and 32 fatalities as of Thursday, though the numbers do not include casualties from La Guaira, which is the worst affected.
The USGS said there was a 36% chance the toll could reach 10,000 and a 40% chance it could go up to 100,000.
The agency declared it a Red Alert Level disaster, which comes with instructions for a complete evacuation, warnings of potential tsunamis and coastal flooding, and calls for an international response.
Image credits: Edilzon Gamez/Getty Images
Venezuela’s Interim President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency and suspended airport, rail, and road transport services, as the first responders and the fire department worked on rescue efforts.
Fuel supplies to the city have been cut off. Power and internet blackouts have also been reported. Schools have been shut for the remainder of the week.
Venezuela’s interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, addressed the situation on Wednesday night in a television announcement and urged people to remain calm and vacate damaged buildings.
“We are calling on the public to leave their homes and buildings, as several structures sustained damage during the initial earthquake,” he said. “Subsequent aftershocks will exploit those structural weaknesses.”
“Be very careful with children and the elderly; call each other and check that no one has been harmed.”
Image credits: Edilzon Gamez/Getty Images
Video footage of terrified families quickly spread on social media, showing them rushing onto the streets and trying to scramble to safety as chunks of bricks and mortar collapsed. Some clips showed passengers scurrying across the concourse at Maiquetia International Airport as ceiling panels fell and sparks flew, threatening to ignite a fire.
One video showed baseball players and spectators crowding in a field in Caracas as the stadium shook and the lights flickered rapidly. Many residents spent the night on the street, some with no roof over their heads anymore.
Josefina Hernández, 48, an administrator in Valencia, told The New York Times, “People were frantic, screaming — I mean, it was terrifying, because people were just pouring out saying, ‘What is this?’”
“I felt the most terrified I have ever felt in my entire life,” said Luisa Martínez, 68, a homemaker. “The noise, the windows slamming open and shut, and everything creaking like never before — it was horrifying.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to aid Venezuela in a Truth Social post: “The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends.”
Mexico, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Spain, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and India were among the other countries that offered solidarity and support.
Image credits: CBCNews
“This (M 7.5) event was the mainshock of a severe seismic doublet sequence, occurring just 39 seconds after an M 7.2 foreshock,” the USGS wrote in their review. “A doublet sequence – defined as two earthquakes of similar magnitude that occur close in time and proximity - likely indicates a complex, rupture-interaction process.”
“The earthquake's location, shallow depth (10.0 km), and right-lateral strike-slip mechanism are consistent with rupture along this plate boundary system (between the Caribbean and South American plates) along the Boconó fault system,” the agency further explained as the reason.
The Boconó Fault System is a major 500-kilometer-long right-lateral strike-slip fault that extends through the Venezuelan Andes and into Colombia. It sits along a highly active tectonic boundary where the Caribbean and South American plates grind past each other, making it responsible for some of South America's most destructive earthquakes.
“In broader Venezuela, there have been five M 7+ earthquakes in northern Venezuela or near the coast since 1900,” the USGS said.
#1 A Venezuelan Recorded Himself Running Down The Stairs Of His Building Through Debris
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#4 Crowds Seen Hurrying Out Of A Shopping Mall Moments After The Earthquakes Hit
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#5 The Earthquakes Toppled Storage Units And Shattered Glass Bottles Inside A Store
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#7 Terrified Citizens Ran Out Of Their Homes As A Double Earthquake Struck Venezuela
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#9 Fishermen Recorded How The Sea Off The Coast Of La Guaira Behaved During The Earthquake
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#11 Waves Were Seen In Private Swimming Pools As Tsunami Alerts And Aftershocks Continued In Venezuela
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#13 Rooftop Swimming Pool Water Crashed Down From A High-Rise Building, Endangering Pedestrians
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#15 Heartbreaking Visuals As Residents Look For Family Members After A Whole Building Comes Down
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#17 Household Items Fall And Break Inside A Venezuelan Home As Residents Hold On For Support
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#18 Complete Chaos Ensued As Hundreds Ran Down From Their Block Buildings
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#19 Video Of Structures Collapsed In Caracas In The Moments Right After The Earthquakes
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#20 Aftermath Footage Showed Huge Cracks And Chunks Of Concrete Missing In Buildings
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