Major Earthquakes in Venezuela: State of Emergency Declared, Dozens Dead and Hundreds Injured

The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported the magnitudes of the tremors as 7.2 and 7.5. According to initial findings, at least 32 people lost their lives and around 700 others were injured. There have already been 20 aftershocks.

Epicenter Near Densely Populated Cities

The automatic modeling by the US Geological Survey, based on the magnitude of the quake and the proximity of several cities, suggested a very high probability of more than a thousand fatalities. In the relatively nearby cities of Puerto Cabello and San Felipe alone, according to USGS data, somewhat more than 400,000 people live combined.

The quakes occurred on a public holiday marking the country's independence, which is why many Venezuelans were at home. School classes were suspended, and rail traffic was halted. To prevent explosions caused by aftershocks, authorities ordered the gas supply to be cut off.

Impact on Infrastructure and Hospitals

The international airport in the capital, Caracas, also ceased operations due to damage. At hospitals such as the Hospital de Clínicas in Caracas, staff for the night shift was doubled to care for the injured. "We are dealing with an extremely alarming situation," Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on television.

In the capital district of Chacao, according to Mayor Gustavo Duque, 18 survivors were rescued from a single building alone. In the coastal state of Falcón, Governor Víctor Clark reported 22 injured, and 15 adults were missing.

Some states are particularly affected, Rodríguez explained, including La Guaira. A tsunami warning issued for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire was later canceled.

International Aid Pledges

US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social about a "devastating death toll." The US State Department said it had set up a crisis response unit to coordinate with the Venezuelan government on sending search-and-rescue teams as well as humanitarian and medical assistance. The US Embassy in Caracas called on American citizens to seek safe shelters.

The President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, said specialized search-and-rescue teams from the armed forces would depart for Venezuela in the early morning. The President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, also wrote on the platform X that 300 rescue workers and paramedics as well as 50 tons of aid supplies were ready to be brought to the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

President Rodríguez, who has been leading the country since the ouster of President Nicolás Maduro by the United States in January, also appealed for international support for reconstruction. East Japan Railway announced that several trains, including the Tohoku Shinkansen, were temporarily suspended when, in parallel, an earthquake of magnitude 6.9 at a depth of approximately 50 kilometers was recorded off the eastern coast of the Japanese island of Honshu in the Tohoku region. According to the Japanese weather agency, no tsunami warning was issued. No irregularities were detected at the nuclear facilities.