Venezuela earthquake death toll reaches 164, thousands feared to remain trapped
The strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century, the massive shocks collapsed entire buildings and sent people running in panic
Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodríguez confirmed a devastating earthquake event resulting in at least 164 deaths and nearly 1,000 injuries, with initial reports indicating 32 fatalities and a grim expectation of a much higher toll due to thousands potentially trapped under debris. The powerful 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes, among the strongest in over a century, were felt across the region, even prompting evacuations in Brazil, and caused a brief tsunami warning; however, predictive modeling from the U.S. Geological Survey suggests the death toll could potentially reach thousands, possibly exceeding 10,000. Opposition leaders have reported over 6,600 people unaccounted for on a dedicated website, and while many Venezuelans were at home during the afternoon quakes on a public holiday, leading to dramatic scenes of collapsed buildings and desperate rescue efforts in Caracas and the hardest-hit La Guaira State, the UN's human rights mission has urged the government to lift social media restrictions, deeming it critical for rescue operations.
Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodríguez confirmed a devastating earthquake event resulting in at least 164 deaths and nearly 1,000 injuries, with initial reports indicating 32 fatalities and a grim expectation of a much higher toll due to thousands potentially trapped under debris. The powerful 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes, among the strongest in over a century, were felt across the region, even prompting evacuations in Brazil, and caused a brief tsunami warning; however, predictive modeling from the U.S. Geological Survey suggests the death toll could potentially reach thousands, possibly exceeding 10,000. Opposition leaders have reported over 6,600 people unaccounted for on a dedicated website, and while many Venezuelans were at home during the afternoon quakes on a public holiday, leading to dramatic scenes of collapsed buildings and desperate rescue efforts in Caracas and the hardest-hit La Guaira State, the UN's human rights mission has urged the government to lift social media restrictions, deeming it critical for rescue operations.
Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodríguez confirmed a devastating earthquake event resulting in at least 164 deaths and nearly 1,000 injuries, with initial reports indicating 32 fatalities and a grim expectation of a much higher toll due to thousands potentially trapped under debris. The powerful 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes, among the strongest in over a century, were felt across the region, even prompting evacuations in Brazil, and caused a brief tsunami warning; however, predictive modeling from the U.S. Geological Survey suggests the death toll could potentially reach thousands, possibly exceeding 10,000. Opposition leaders have reported over 6,600 people unaccounted for on a dedicated website, and while many Venezuelans were at home during the afternoon quakes on a public holiday, leading to dramatic scenes of collapsed buildings and desperate rescue efforts in Caracas and the hardest-hit La Guaira State, the UN's human rights mission has urged the government to lift social media restrictions, deeming it critical for rescue operations.
Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodríguez confirmed that at least 164 people have died and nearly 1,000 were injured after major earthquakes hit the country.
The acting president had said earlier that at least 32 people had died after Wednesday evening's 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes, and that the toll was expected to rise.
The quakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century and could be felt throughout the region. Buildings were evacuated in places as far away as Brazil's Amazon, about 1,700 kilometres (1,050 miles) from Venezuela's capital, Caracas. A tsunami warning was issued but swiftly cancelled after the danger passed. Residents across Caracas, which was also hit by a deadly magnitude-6.3 earthquake in 1967, rushed to evacuate as buildings shook.
However, the final tally could be much higher as thousands are likely to be trapped under the debris. The U.S. Geological Survey, using predictive modelling to estimate the death toll, said it would most likely run into the thousands, with a substantial probability of exceeding 10,000. A website set up to track missing people and posted on X by leaders from the country's opposition, many of whom are outside the country, listed more than 6,600 people as unaccounted for soon after 2 a.m. local time. Many Venezuelans were at home when the quakes struck during the afternoon on a public holiday. "There was a very loud crash," one witness recalled.
The UN's Venezuela human rights mission urged the government to lift local restrictions on social media, saying it was a "matter of life and death".
Emergency workers scrambled over the debris of a collapsed building in Caracas as night fell, while distraught relatives sought help for loved ones feared trapped. Several dazed survivors were taken away, some on stretchers. "When we went downstairs, the scene was like a horror movie," said María Alejandra, a resident from a nearby building, who did not give her surname. "We had to climb over the rubble and everything. The building superintendent with the baby and all the neighbours coming down. But from that building, I only saw that one family got out."
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez said the initial casualty figures do not include those from the worst-affected La Guaira State, near Caracas and home to the city's airport, which had been closed. "Dozens of buildings have collapsed, and we are currently carrying out very intense rescue efforts to save as many lives as God allows us to save," she said in an appearance on state television just before 1 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Thursday.