Thousands of people were feared dead Thursday after two powerful earthquakes struck central Venezuela, collapsing buildings across Caracas and surrounding regions, trapping residents beneath rubble and triggering a massive rescue operation as authorities struggled to assess the full scale of the disaster.
The earthquakes struck within less than a minute of each other on Wednesday afternoon, with a magnitude 7.2 tremor occurring about 100 miles west of Caracas before a second, stronger magnitude 7.5 quake followed shortly afterward, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The twin shocks sent buildings swaying across the Venezuelan capital, toppled apartment blocks and public infrastructure, and generated powerful aftershocks that continued through the night.
Emergency crews worked around the clock in collapsed neighborhoods, climbing through mountains of concrete and twisted steel in search of survivors. Across Caracas, families gathered outside destroyed buildings, desperately seeking information about relatives believed to be trapped beneath the debris.
“When we went downstairs, the scene was like a horror movie,” said Maria Alejandra, a resident living near one of the collapsed structures. “We had to climb over the rubble and everything. The building superintendent came out with a baby, and neighbors were trying to help each other. But from that building, I only saw one family make it out.”
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said at least 164 people had been confirmed dead and nearly 1,000 injured, while warning that the toll was expected to rise substantially as rescue teams reached heavily damaged areas. She said authorities were coordinating with private companies to deploy heavy machinery and specialized equipment to assist in clearing debris and locating survivors.
The worst destruction was reported in La Guaira state, the coastal region adjacent to Caracas and home to the country’s main international airport. Video footage showed collapsed buildings along the waterfront, shattered roads and extensive structural damage throughout residential neighborhoods. Parts of the airport suffered severe damage, with ceilings collapsing and debris scattered across terminals.
“Dozens of buildings have collapsed, and we are carrying out very intense rescue efforts to save as many lives as God allows us to save,” Rodriguez said in a late-night television address. “La Guaira state is a true tragedy and has become a disaster zone.”
Near the epicenter in the coastal town of Morón in Carabobo state, residents faced a second night without electricity or running water as emergency workers attempted to restore basic services. Local officials reported that at least eight people had died in the area, including three children, though authorities warned that many communities remained inaccessible and casualty figures could increase significantly.
The U.S. Geological Survey issued a grim assessment of the disaster, using predictive models that suggested fatalities could ultimately reach into the thousands. The agency estimated there was a substantial probability that the death toll could exceed 10,000 as rescue teams continued to uncover victims beneath collapsed structures.
The scale of the crisis became more apparent overnight as opposition figures launched an online registry for missing persons. By early Thursday morning, more than 10,000 individuals had been listed as unaccounted for, underscoring the uncertainty surrounding the full human impact of the disaster.
The earthquakes struck during a public holiday when many Venezuelans were at home with family members. Witnesses described scenes of panic as buildings shook violently and residents rushed into the streets.
“There was a very loud crash,” said Coro Martinez, a 56-year-old resident of eastern Caracas. “Things fell throughout the house. Containers inside the refrigerator flew out. I have never experienced anything like it.”
Astrid Ramirez, a publicist living in western Caracas, said the first moments after the earthquake were marked by confusion and fear.
“As soon as it started, we began hearing people screaming,” she said. “Everyone was running down the stairs.”
For many older residents, the disaster revived memories of previous earthquakes that struck Venezuela decades ago. Maria Romero, an 80-year-old pensioner, said police officers helped her evacuate her home after the tremors.
“This earthquake was horrible, even worse than the one in 1967,” she said, referring to the earthquake that killed hundreds of people in Caracas nearly six decades ago.
International assistance began mobilizing shortly after the scale of the disaster became clear. Rodriguez said rescue teams from multiple countries were preparing to arrive and expressed gratitude for offers of support from foreign leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump described the situation as “devastating” and said U.S. authorities were coordinating emergency assistance. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that American search-and-rescue teams would be deployed and that Pentagon resources would assist operations at the damaged airport.
The United Nations also called for urgent humanitarian measures. The U.N. human rights mission in Venezuela urged authorities to ease restrictions on social media and communications platforms, arguing that reliable access to information was critical for locating missing people and coordinating rescue efforts.
Access to communications remained inconsistent across many affected regions. Cell phone networks experienced repeated disruptions, while internet services were intermittent in several cities. Power outages persisted throughout large sections of Caracas, La Guaira and nearby communities, complicating rescue operations and emergency medical care.
Hospitals across the capital struggled to cope with the influx of injured residents. At Caracas’ Hospital de Clínicas, staff doubled overnight shifts to treat patients arriving with fractures, crush injuries and trauma-related conditions. Medical personnel reported shortages of supplies as emergency rooms filled beyond capacity.
Authorities suspended classes nationwide for the remainder of the week and closed the Caracas stock exchange, which officials said would be repurposed to support emergency operations. Government agencies also urged residents to avoid damaged structures due to the risk of additional collapses caused by aftershocks.
Humanitarian organizations faced challenges of their own. The Venezuelan Red Cross reported significant damage to its headquarters but said rescue teams had already been dispatched to the hardest-hit areas. France said its embassy building suffered extensive structural damage during the earthquakes.
Despite widespread devastation in populated areas, Venezuela’s critical energy infrastructure appeared largely intact. Officials and industry representatives reported no immediate signs of significant damage to major oil-producing regions.
Workers near the Morón Petrochemical Complex, the country’s second-largest operational petrochemical facility, began preliminary efforts to restart operations after inspections found no catastrophic structural failures. Meanwhile, international energy companies operating in Venezuela said personnel had been accounted for and facilities remained operational.
Chevron, the largest foreign partner of state oil company PDVSA, said all employees were safe and operations continued. British energy company Shell also reported that none of its staff had been injured and that assessments of facilities were ongoing.
Venezuela sits along a seismically active boundary where the Caribbean Plate and South American Plate meet, making earthquakes a recurring geological threat. The country has experienced several destructive earthquakes throughout its history, including the catastrophic 1812 event that killed an estimated 30,000 people and devastated Caracas and Mérida.
As dawn broke over the capital Thursday, rescue workers continued searching through the ruins while families waited anxiously for news of loved ones. With thousands still missing and large sections of the affected region yet to be fully assessed, officials warned that the true scale of Venezuela’s latest catastrophe may not become clear for days.
