New 4.9 quake rattles Venezuela after deadly twin shocks
EMSC reported a 4.9-magnitude tremor northwest of Maracay as Venezuela confronts heavy losses from two major earthquakes earlier in the week.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
A 4.9-magnitude earthquake was recorded off Venezuela’s northern coast on Friday, adding to fears in a country already struggling with the aftermath of two destructive quakes days earlier. The latest tremor matters because rescue teams and residents are still searching collapsed buildings, with casualties and missing-person reports already high.
The earthquake-monitoring group EMSC said on social media that the Friday quake struck 61 kilometres, or 36 miles, northwest of Maracay in northern Venezuela. Reuters reported, citing local witnesses, that shaking was felt in Maracay and in the capital, Caracas.
Further information on damage or casualties from Friday’s tremor was not immediately available, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters.
Earlier quakes left Caracas badly damaged
Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported that Venezuela was hit on Wednesday evening by two powerful earthquakes, measured at magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5. Those quakes killed at least 920 people and left sections of Caracas devastated, according to the report.
The toll could rise. The US Geological Survey estimated that casualties could exceed 10,000, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters.
At least 3,360 people have been reported injured, and more than 172 people remain trapped under rubble, the report said. The Venezuelan government said the number of people listed as missing has passed 50,000.
Restrictions in damaged areas
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Friday that access would be limited in some of the areas hardest hit by the earthquakes in La Guaira state, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters. The report did not give further details on the scope or duration of those restrictions.
Residents have been gathering supplies and joining searches for survivors, according to the report. Some people have used their own vehicles as makeshift ambulances to move the injured.
The Venezuelan government has also eased limits on social media platforms including X, which had been blocked after the disputed 2024 presidential election, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported. The change has allowed residents to circulate information about missing relatives.
Jennifer Palacios, 25, told Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters that local residents had played a central role in rescue work. Her six-year-old son and five relatives were under rubble, according to the report.
“It’s the community that has managed to get people out alive,” Palacios said. “We need them to bring cranes to move the slabs. There are still people trapped.”
Rescue work continued Friday in Caracas, where crews searched through the wreckage of a collapsed building, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters. The new tremor added uncertainty as emergency workers and residents dealt with damaged structures, blocked access and the rising number of missing-person reports.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.