Thousands Feared Dead After Two Major Earthquakes Strike Venezuela

Venezuela is reeling from its worst earthquake disaster in more than a century after two powerful tremors struck the country's northern coast within a minute of each other, collapsing buildings across the capital, Caracas, and the hard-hit coastal state of La Guaira. While confirmed casualty figures remain limited as rescue efforts continue, US officials are warning the true death toll could climb into the thousands.

What Happened

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck near San Felipe, about 284km west of Caracas, at 22:04 GMT on Wednesday, followed almost immediately by a magnitude 7.5 quake near Yumare, about 293km west of the capital, according to the US Geological Survey. Venezuela was struck by two back-to-back quakes — the second of which, at magnitude 7.5, is the country's biggest earthquake in more than a century. It was a public holiday, so many people were at home when the quakes hit.

The Human Toll So Far

At least 32 people were killed and more than 700 were injured, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said in an address on state television early Thursday. Those figures do not include possible casualties in the state of La Guaira, which Rodríguez described in stark terms. "At this time, we have received reports of 32 deaths" and "more than 700 injured," Rodriguez said, adding she did not yet have data on the "hardest-hit region" of La Guaira, located near the capital.

Crucially, US scientists are warning that the toll could be far higher than current confirmed numbers suggest. The USGS, using predictive modelling to estimate the death toll in the disaster, said it would most likely run into the thousands, with a substantial probability of exceeding 10,000.

Caracas and La Guaira: A "Disaster Zone"

The damage was particularly severe in the coastal region just north of the capital. Venezuela's northern coastal state of La Guaira, which suffered the most extensive damage, has been declared a disaster zone, Rodriguez said. "We can say that the situation in La Guaira is a true tragedy," she said in a late-night address. "Dozens of buildings have collapsed, and we are currently engaged in arduous rescue operations to save as many lives as God allows". Video footage from La Guaira shows a number of buildings, including part of an 8-floor hotel, have collapsed — suggesting there could be a significant number of casualties.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos and panic as the ground shook. "There was a very loud crash. Things fell in the house, jugs inside the refrigerator. I've never experienced anything like it," said Coro Martinez, 56, who lives in eastern Caracas. "As soon as it started, we began hearing people screaming," said Astrid Ramirez, a 41-year-old publicist in western Caracas. "Everyone was running down the stairs". Maria Romero, an 80-year-old pensioner in southern Caracas, said, "This earthquake was horrible, even worse than the one in 1967", referencing a deadly quake that previously struck the capital.

Why the Damage Was So Severe

Geologists point to Venezuela's specific tectonic and geological conditions as key factors in the disaster's scale. Vashan Wright, a geophysicist at the University of California, San Diego, said the damage was so extensive because Venezuela lies in a "massive strike-slip fault zone" straddling the Caribbean Plate and the South American Plate. Caracas is also in a deep sedimentary basin, which further amplifies the seismic waves from earthquakes, Wright said.

US seismologists echoed concerns about the event's severity. Lucy Jones, a seismologist and visiting professor at the California Institute of Technology, said predictions by the USGS are that it will be a severe event. "This is one of the really great, very difficult, very damaging earthquakes, because you combined a very large event with residences of a lot of people," Jones said in a video briefing.

International Response

Help has begun arriving from multiple countries, including the United States. The United States pledged to help, as did humanitarian organizations and a number of other countries including China, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. President Donald Trump wrote on social media that he had "instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good!!!" Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said the U.S. was "immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance".

Trump's comments later grew starker as initial reports came in. "The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths," Trump said. Rodríguez thanked Trump and the U.S. government, which she said had been in "permanent contact" with the Venezuelan government — notable given the strained recent history between the two nations.

Tsunami Threat and Aftershocks

While initial fears of a tsunami briefly heightened anxiety along the Caribbean coast, that danger has since passed. There is no longer a tsunami threat, according to the US Tsunami Warning Centers. Rodríguez noted that 20 aftershocks had been recorded in the hours following the initial quakes, continuing to complicate rescue and recovery operations.

For ongoing, authoritative updates on earthquake magnitude, aftershocks, and seismic data from this disaster, the US Geological Survey's Earthquake Hazards Program remains the most reliable source for verified technical data as the situation develops.

What Comes Next

With rescue crews from multiple countries now arriving and aftershocks continuing to rattle the region, the coming days will be critical in determining the disaster's true scale. Given the USGS's warning that fatalities could climb into the thousands — and potentially beyond 10,000 — officials and international aid organizations are bracing for the possibility that this could become one of the deadliest natural disasters in Venezuela's modern history.