Moscow, Russia (Weltexpress). A powerful earthquake hit Venezuela late on June 24.
Two tremors measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 were recorded within 40 seconds of each other. The epicenters were located in the state of Yaracuy, ten kilometers apart.
According to acting President Delcy Rodriguez, at least 164 people were killed and another 971 suffered injuries; dozens of buildings collapsed. Metro and rail service has been suspended in the capital. The country’s authorities declared a state of emergency.
TASS has gathered the key information on the incident so far.
Situation in Venezuela
Strong tremors caused several buildings to collapse in Caracas, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said.
Venezuela’s authorities declared a state of emergency following the earthquake, Reuters reported, citing acting President Delcy Rodriguez.
Maiquetia International Airport in Caracas was closed due to structural damage.
The BBC broadcast footage from Caracas. The images show ruins of several buildings, including at least one high-rise, with clouds of settling dust and lamp posts lying on the pavement. People are seen in the streets, having run out of or been evacuated from buildings. The broadcaster reports a possibly destroyed bank building in Caracas and also notes that residents of Bogota, the capital of neighboring Colombia, felt the tremors.
The NetBlocks international monitoring service reported Internet disruptions in Venezuela after the quake.
Cabello said that several buildings, including homes, had collapsed in Caracas’ earthquake-prone districts of Altamira and Palos Grandes. Casualties and damage were also reported in other parts of the capital.
The earthquake in Venezuela resulted in major damage to residential infrastructure, Radio Caracol correspondent Gabriela Gonzalez reported. According to her, this scale of damage has not been seen in 40 years.
Authorities suspended gas supplies to homes due to building damage, Cabello noted, as cited by the El Universal media outlet. The minister said that rescue services, firefighters, police units and civil protection volunteers are clearing debris from destroyed buildings and providing assistance to those affected.
He urged residents to leave damaged buildings, help those in need and avoid obstructing traffic.
At least 15 buildings collapsed in the northern state of La Guaira, CNN reported.
Transit flights over Venezuela are currently suspended, a regional air traffic control told TASS.
The Venezuelan government has declared the coastal state of La Guaira a disaster area, TeleSUR reported on X.
The Venezuelan capital was at the epicenter of the earthquake, which caused heavy damage to infrastructure, Venezuelan journalist Jeison Rauseo told Peru’s RPP radio station. In addition to Caracas, the city of Valencia also sustained extensive damage, he said.
Venezuela’s authorities and the civil defense service have launched rescue operations following the devastating earthquake, Rodriguez announced on Venezolana de Television.
She later reported that about 30 aftershocks were recorded following the earthquake.
Authorities are placing residents who have lost their homes or whose houses have sustained serious damage in hotels and temporary shelters. In addition, public and private medical institutions are providing emergency care to the injured. Residents have been advised to use the digital platform Benap to quickly report damage to housing stock and to transmit information about missing persons.
