Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela's northern coast on Wednesday, causing widespread devastation in Caracas and coastal towns. The 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude quakes occurred within a minute of each other shortly after 6 p.m. local time, collapsing buildings and killing at least 164 people, with the death toll expected to rise.
Panic and Destruction in Caracas
Residents of Caracas scrambled onto streets from shuddering, fractured buildings. "It was horrible. I felt like the house was moving to a different rhythm to the earth. I had to carry my mum out. She was paralysed by fear," said 18-year-old Sebastian Rodriguez, whose family runs a shop in Centro Plaza, a brutalist commercial centre in the affluent neighbourhood of Los Palos Grandes. The robust reinforced concrete structure appeared spared major damage, but surrounding areas were less fortunate.
At least three buildings in Los Palos Grandes and neighbouring Altamira collapsed. Emergency workers, volunteers, and relatives rushed to the scene hoping to find survivors in the wreckage. "There is so much rubble," gasped Jessica Galvis, 33, a critical care physician, waiting for news outside a fallen six-floor building where she believed a female friend was buried.
Coastal Communities Devastated
The international airport in La Guaira was closed after sustaining severe damage, hampering humanitarian response. Social media videos showed panicked travellers sprinting for cover as the terminal's roof caved in. Nearby, dozens of tower blocks and buildings, including at least one beachfront hotel, collapsed. Working-class areas like Catia, already struggling with economic crisis, were devastated. "My walls have crumbled. There's water coming in through the roof," said Jose Luis, a PE teacher who lost his home. "The quake lasted so long and it smashed everything."
Isra Colmenares, 58, described her building swaying violently during the second quake, Venezuela's worst since a 7.7 earthquake in 1900. "It was a truly hideous experience ... It was the first time in my life that I've experienced anything like this – it was just so, so powerful," she said.
Compounding Tragedy
The coastal region was still reeling from a U.S. invasion on 3 January to abduct President Nicolas Maduro. Several buildings in Catia La Mar were badly damaged when U.S. missiles hit defence systems. On Wednesday, those communities again faced disaster. With phone lines down, residents' fates remained unclear. The official death toll stood at 164 on Thursday morning and was expected to rise. Writing on social media, Donald Trump warned of "a devastating number of deaths," adding: "We will be there for our new and great friends."
Social media filled with photographs of the missing, including an eight-year-old boy named Brayne and a five-year-old girl named Miranda. In one dwelling, at least five members of the same family disappeared: Luisa, Angel, Carmen, Yepxalit, and Andrea. Amid the despair, rescue workers freed three siblings buried under a pancaked building in La Guaira at about 1:30 a.m., pulling them from concrete shaken but alive.
