Two massive earthquakes in Venezuela kill 32 and injure hundreds

Massive back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela have killed 32 people and injured more than 700 — toppling buildings in Caracas, knocking down power lines and devastating the capital’s main airport.

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake on Wednesday evening was followed less than a minute later by an even larger quake measuring 7.5, with its epicenter in Yaracuy state west of Caracas, according to the US Geological Survey.

Those were followed almost immediately across the world by a 7.2 magnitude quake in northern Japan, which rattled buildings in Tokyo.

Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez announced the death toll saying more casualties were expected.

In a national address, she said that the airport had been closed due to severe damage, and schools would also shut. She called on people to cancel non-essential work. Some people lost their lives, she said.

“All our authorities and the civil protection system are focused on the primary task of saving lives,” Rodríguez said. “Subsequently, we will address everything related to the recovery of infrastructure.”

Multilateral lenders had reached out to offer support, she added.

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President Donald Trump said the US was ready to help Venezuela in a post on Truth Social. “I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly,” he wrote. “We will be there for our new and great friends.”

“Early reports are not good,” he added.

Rescue efforts

In the Palos Grandes neighborhood in eastern Caracas, residents tried frantically to rescue people trapped under the debris of collapsed buildings.

Some terrified families stayed outside as repeated aftershocks hit the capital. Venezuelan migrants in Colombia and elsewhere sought to reach relatives, but cellphone coverage was down in swathes of the country.

An initial tsunami warning in the Caribbean was lifted by the NWS Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said in a national address that some houses and buildings have collapsed.

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States including Trujillo, Carabobo, Miranda, Aragua, Falcon and La Guaira were also affected.

Some older residents said the event brought back memories of the massive 1967 earthquake that killed hundreds.

There were no immediate reports of damage to Venezuela’s oil facilities, according to people familiar with the situation.

The country’s refining hub in Paraguaná, 225 kilometers (140 miles) west of the epicenter, continued operations as usual. Work at the port of Jose complex and at the Puerto La Cruz refinery was unaffected, one of the people said.

The disaster will further strain the nation’s crisis-hit economy. The country is reeling from one of the world’s fastest inflation rates and rolling power outages.

President Nicolás Maduro was captured in a raid on Caracas by US forces in January, leaving its government in a state of transition.

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