A devastating pair of back-to-back earthquakes struck north-central Venezuela, killing at least 32 people, injuring over 700, and plunging the nation into a state of emergency.
The powerful twin tremors, a magnitude 7.2 foreshock closely followed 39 seconds later by a magnitude 7.5 mainshock, hit the coastal region near Morón on Wednesday evening, collapsing scores of buildings and trapping residents beneath the rubble.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared a nationwide state of emergency late Wednesday, warning that the casualty toll is expected to rise sharply as search and rescue teams drill through flattened structures.
The coastal state of La Guaira, located just north of Caracas, has been designated a disaster zone after suffering catastrophic structural damage.
In Caracas, the capital’s metro and rail systems were entirely suspended, and emergency protocols cut off natural gas services to various sectors to prevent post-quake fires.
Extensive power and telecommunication outages left parts of the capital in total darkness overnight, while Simón Bolívar International Airport was forced to shut down due to severe runway and terminal damage.
The Ministry of Education has cancelled school sessions nationwide, converting undamaged school buildings into temporary shelters and donation centers.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), these tremors rank among the strongest earthquakes to strike Venezuela in more than a century.
The shocks were so intense they were felt across the region, including the Caribbean islands of Curaçao and Bonaire, as well as neighboring Colombia and Brazil’s Amazon region.
Emergency responders and local volunteers continue to dig through debris in a race against time to locate survivors amid continuous, nerve-wracking aftershocks.
