Rescuers search rubble after Venezuela’s strongest quakes in a century
Officials said at least 164 people were killed after two powerful earthquakes hit near Caracas less than a minute apart.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
2 min read
Search-and-rescue teams were pulling people from collapsed buildings in Venezuela on Thursday after two powerful earthquakes struck less than a minute apart, NPR reported. Officials said at least 164 people had died, and the destruction reached one of the country’s most populated regions.
NPR reported that the quakes were Venezuela’s strongest in more than a century. The epicenter was west of Caracas, but damage was documented in the capital and in nearby coastal communities, including Catia La Mar in La Guaira state, about 30 kilometers northwest of Caracas.
Acting President Delcy Rodriguez declared a state of emergency, according to NPR. She urged residents to stay alert for aftershocks as crews continued searching through damaged and collapsed structures.
Damage near Caracas
Images from Federico Parra of AFP via Getty Images showed residents in Catia La Mar standing outside damaged apartment blocks, searching through debris and trying to recover belongings. One photograph showed people working around a car trapped under the remains of a collapsed residential building.
Another image by Parra showed a man carrying a mattress past damaged residential buildings in Catia La Mar. Other photos from the same area showed residents looking at cracked and broken apartment structures, including views into a heavily damaged interior.
In Caracas, a photograph by Manuare Quintero of AFP via Getty Images showed people walking past a collapsed building on June 25. NPR reported that although the epicenter was outside the capital, the damage extended across a dense urban area.
Hospitals and rescue efforts
Photos by Pedro Mattey of The Associated Press showed patients lying outside a hospital in Catia La Mar after the building was evacuated because of earthquake damage. AP images also showed residents walking through rubble in Catia La Mar a day after the quakes.
Mattey also photographed a firefighter rescuing a dog from a collapsed building. Juan Pablo Arraez of The Associated Press documented damaged buildings still standing in La Guaira after the earthquakes.
The emergency response remained focused on collapsed buildings, NPR reported. Officials had confirmed at least 164 deaths while search operations were still underway, and authorities warned residents to remain cautious as aftershocks remained a concern.
This story draws on original reporting from NPR.