Two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 occurred within seconds in Venezuela on Wednesday, causing severe damage to Caracas and other areas. Rescue teams are digging through rubble in search of survivors, while authorities warn the death toll may rise.
The government has declared a state of emergency, suspended classes, closed the main airport, and called on medical staff to report to hospitals.
Jesus Alejandro Pina, a 38-year-old engineer in Caracas, said he was on the rooftop of a seven-story building when the earthquake struck. “Very, very strong,” he told Al Jazeera. “Glass broke, pictures fell, TVs too. Everything fell. Lights, anything made of glass, even columns and beams made noise.” As an engineer, Pina understood what was happening to the building. “Movement in the columns and beams helps absorb energy. But if it lasts too long, it can reach a breaking point,” he explained.
When the shaking stopped, thousands of panicked residents rushed into the streets and witnessed a horrifying scene: collapsed buildings and thick orange dust. “Everyone was in the streets, squares, outside homes. They were alert, worried. Many were injured. Firefighters and paramedics were pulling people out of the rubble,” Pina said. “It was midnight, people were still awake, outside, watching the news. They were alert because aftershocks were reported.”
Luis Alejandro Ruiz Garcia, 25, from El Paraiso, Caracas, recounted that a Google earthquake alert appeared on his phone just before his apartment began shaking violently. “My mother and sister jumped out of bed in fear. We hugged each other and as soon as we could, we tried to go down the stairs and out of the building as fast as possible.” Outside, orange dust filled the air after a residential building collapsed three blocks away from his apartment. “We waited about 10 minutes, then went back to get documents and clothes before leaving again.” On the way to his grandmother's house, Ruiz Garcia saw streets packed with people searching for relatives and helping neighbors escape damaged buildings. “The building across the street was a pile of rubble. It looked like images from a war-torn country. You could hear screams for help.”
Many elderly people living alone after their children emigrated from Venezuela due to the economic crisis were trapped under the rubble. According to Venezuelan authorities, at least 32 people have been confirmed dead, but the number is expected to rise as rescue teams continue operations. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said there was a 44% chance of more than 10,000 deaths and a 33% chance of exceeding 100,000. Communications were disrupted in many areas, making it impossible for families to contact loved ones and complicating the assessment of the disaster's scale.
