Venezuela quake survivors recount panic as death toll reaches 188
Twin earthquakes left buildings collapsed, services disrupted and families searching for missing relatives across parts of Venezuela.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Two powerful earthquakes hit Venezuela on Wednesday evening, killing at least 188 people and sending residents into streets, cars and emergency shelters. The toll could rise as rescue crews search collapsed buildings and families try to locate missing relatives.
Venezuela’s National Assembly confirmed the death count, while the United States Geological Survey said mass casualties were likely and projected that fatalities could reach the thousands. Al Jazeera reported that the first quake was measured at magnitude 7.2 and the second at 7.5, striking shortly after 6pm local time.
In Caracas, Billy Ebrin told Al Jazeera he slept in his silver Aveo rather than return to his seventh-floor apartment. He said a phone alert sounded before the building began to shake, sending his three dogs under beds as he sheltered in a doorway and prayed.
Ebrin said he heard concrete coming loose from walls and feared he would die. After the shaking ended, he joined crowds rushing down to street level, including older residents, people carrying animals and others who had fled with little time to dress.
Rescue crews search La Guaira
Al Jazeera reported that La Guaira, north of Caracas, was among the hardest-hit areas, with rows of buildings brought down. Images from news agencies showed rescuers working through concrete slabs and twisted metal in Catia La Mar and neighbors carrying a man pulled from rubble in La Guaira.
Acting President Delcy Rodriguez appealed to foreign governments and Venezuela’s private sector to help with rescue work. She wrote on X that the central goal was saving lives and said the country would respond together.
Al Jazeera reported that Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, the United States, Qatar and Argentina were among the countries that said they would send assistance. Schools were closed on Thursday, Caracas metro service stopped, and rail transport was suspended.
Phone and power outages complicated the search for survivors, though Al Jazeera reported some service had returned in certain areas. Families circulated photos and names of missing relatives on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and other platforms, and a website was created to register missing people.
Andres Azpurua, director of the digital rights group Ve sin Filtro, told Al Jazeera that some internet providers had partially restored access to X after the earthquakes. He said the platform and dozens of other websites had been blocked in 2024 after the presidential election, and that public pressure grew after the disaster because people needed information.
Buildings and ground conditions under scrutiny
Other residents described narrow escapes. Caracas resident Renny Vargas told Al Jazeera the shaking began almost immediately after a phone alert and that he managed to stop part of a wall from falling on his father. Mairyn Cedeno, who lives in Caricuao, said falling objects struck her leg and damaged walls and appliances in her home.
Venezuela lies along the boundary of two tectonic plates, and Al Jazeera noted that earthquakes are not unusual there. The country’s major recent quakes include a 1967 disaster that killed up to 300 people, a 1997 quake that killed about 80 and a 2018 magnitude 7.3 quake that killed six people.
Jesus Vasquez, a Caracas civil engineer and director of the NGO Ciudadania Sin Limites, told Al Jazeera that older building designs and local ground conditions likely shaped the damage. He said parts of Caracas such as Los Palos Grandes and Chacao are built on softer sediment, which can amplify shaking compared with areas built on rock.
Vasquez said buildings that meet regulations should be able to move with seismic activity rather than collapse. He told Al Jazeera the level of destruction seen Wednesday should not have occurred and said some buildings would likely need evacuation after the quakes.
Schools are being used as relief centers, according to Al Jazeera. As rescue teams continued work Thursday, many residents remained uncertain whether they could safely return home.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.