What we know about Venezuela’s biggest earthquake in more than a century
Rescuers are desperately searching through piles of rubble in Venezuela after the country was rocked by two powerful earthquakes on Wednesday, leaving scores of people dead and widespread destruction in a country already beset by economic and political turmoil.
At least 589 people have died, 2,980 more have been injured and many remain missing in the largest earthquake event to hit the country in more than a century. The true extent of the toll is still feared to be much higher as crews dig through rubble and survivors are left on the street with nowhere to go.
This comes at a dire time for Venezuela, which is being led by an interim government after US forces captured President Nicolás Maduro earlier this year, and facing an economy crippled by years of hyperinflation.
A magnitude 7.2 foreshock took place near San Felipe, the capital city of Yaracuy state, just after 6:04 p.m. ET.
Just 40 seconds later, it was followed by a larger 7.5 magnitude quake, some 23 kilometers (about 14 miles) southeast of Yumare, a town also in Yaracuy state.
It was what the US Geological Survey calls a “doublet” – a rare phenomenon that contained not one but two major earthquakes of similar destructive energy.
Wednesday was a public holiday, meaning many people may have been home or at public events.
What’s the situation on the ground?
The death toll is expected to keep rising. After a delayed emergency response in many areas of the country, rescuers are racing to find survivors, with the first 48 to 72 hours after a quake widely regarded as the “golden” window to reach people buried alive.
Some 250 buildings have collapsed or endured damage, with the coastal state of La Guaira hardest hit and now declared a disaster zone, said acting President Delcy Rodriguez, who stepped into the role after Maduro’s capture.
In La Guaira, a large waterfront hotel in the city of Macuto was reduced to rubble, while in the town of Catia La Mar, videos show several collapsed buildings and badly damaged high-rises.
From the ground outside another high-rise apartment building in Playa Grande, La Guaira, local resident Carlos Baez could see his neighbor trapped. The neighbor was able to wave back from the rubble of a mid-level floor, but no rescue crew has reached her yet as of Thursday afternoon.
Experts say buildings in Venezuela are more likely to collapse than structures in other quake-prone places like Japan or California that have stronger enforcement of building codes – one possible factor behind the high death toll. Many buildings are also unlikely to have been retrofitted in line with modern earthquake regulations, experts said.
Other images showed overwhelmed hospitals, with improvised wards in hallways and even on the street due to the large number of wounded – reflecting Venezuela’s long-suffering health system, which has faced years of deterioration and lack of investment.