Double Quakes Devastate Northern Venezuela

Overview

• Two shallow, nearly simultaneous earthquakes — measured at magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 by the USGS — struck northern Venezuela on Wednesday night and produced extremely strong shaking across coastal and metropolitan areas.
• The interim government has declared La Guaira a disaster zone, confirmed 235 deaths and reported several thousand injured as provisional counts continue to be revised during ongoing search‑and‑rescue operations.
• Rescue teams from at least 16 countries and more than 1,000 international first responders have been dispatched or arrived to assist local crews working to pull people from dozens of collapsed and heavily damaged buildings.
• Critical infrastructure suffered major damage: Simón Bolívar (Maiquetía) international airport was impaired and authorities cut gas and power in parts of the country to reduce secondary hazards.
• The USGS warns the combination of high magnitude, shallow depth and dense coastal population raises the likelihood of far higher casualties, and UN agencies estimate millions could be affected as relief and damage assessments continue.