Consecutive Strong Earthquakes Up to Magnitude 7.5 Hit Venezuela, Leaving at Least 32 Dead and 700 Injured

At least 32 people have been killed and 700 others injured after consecutive powerful earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela on the evening of June 24, local time.

Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela's interim president, said in a national address on the state-run Venezolana de Televisión (VTV) on Wednesday, "At least 32 deaths have been confirmed so far, and more than 700 victims have been admitted to the emergency rooms of public hospitals and private medical centers."

She noted that La Guaira State suffered the heaviest damage, and the death toll is expected to rise further as rescue teams search collapsed buildings.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck at around 6:04 PM on Wednesday in an area west of Morón, a town on Venezuela's northern Caribbean coast.

Just 39 seconds later, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake followed at a point about 45 kilometers southwest of the first epicenter.

The USGS determined the depth of the first earthquake to be 21.9 kilometers and the second to be 10 kilometers.

The epicenter is located about 160 kilometers west of the capital, Caracas.

The powerful earthquakes shook buildings in downtown Caracas violently, prompting residents to flee outside in a panic.

As June 24 is a public holiday in Venezuela, many residents were reportedly staying at home when the earthquakes struck.

Footage captured by eyewitnesses showed severe damage to the exterior walls of some buildings.

Power outages and internet disruptions were also reported immediately after the earthquakes.

The footage also showed rescue workers climbing over the rubble of collapsed buildings as night fell, and terrified residents pleading for help to rescue their families.

Venezuelan migrants living in neighboring countries such as Colombia tried to contact their relatives, but mobile phone networks in some parts of Venezuela were down, Bloomberg News reported.

Venezuelan Interim President Delcy Rodriguez appeared on state television to declare a state of national emergency following the powerful consecutive earthquakes and more than 20 aftershocks.

She expressed condolences to the families of the victims but did not specify the exact number of dead or injured.

She also announced that Simón Bolívar International Airport on the outskirts of Caracas has been closed.

The USGS estimated that the death toll could reach between 10,000 and 100,000, projecting a "high likelihood of significant casualties and widespread disaster."

The USGS predicted a 40 percent probability of the death toll being between 10,000 and 100,000, and a 14 percent chance of it exceeding 100,000.

It also estimated that economic losses from the earthquakes could reach 1 to 5 percent of Venezuela's gross domestic product (GDP).

Tsunami threat warnings were briefly issued for neighboring Puerto Rico, as well as the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System warned that dangerous tsunami waves could also hit island regions near the Venezuelan coast, including Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire.

Venezuela lies across the boundary where the Caribbean plate to the north and the South American plate to the south meet, making it seismically active.

According to the USGS, a massive earthquake in Caracas and Mérida, Venezuela, in March 1812 is estimated to have killed about 30,000 people.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.