Twin earthquakes in Venezuela kill 164, overwhelm hospitals and transport

Two back-to-back earthquakes ripped through northern Venezuela on June 24, overwhelming hospitals in La Guaira, shutting the main airport and cutting transport links across the region. By June 25, authorities had declared a state of emergency and the death toll had risen to 164, with 971 people injured.

The strongest shock struck seconds after the first, with relief agencies putting the magnitudes at 7.1 and 7.5 or 7.2 and 7.5. Shaking was felt across Caracas, La Guaira, Miranda, Carabobo, Yaracuy, Aragua, Lara, Mérida and Falcón, and more than 20 aftershocks followed in the first hours. UNICEF counted more than 30 aftershocks by June 25.

The hardest hit area was La Guaira, where the main hospitals were pushed to 900% capacity, International Medical Corps said. In Gran Caracas, PAHO mobilized 20 public and private health facilities to provide immediate care as emergency rooms absorbed a flood of trauma cases. The collapse of power, water, gas and telecommunications systems complicated referrals, ambulance dispatch and basic hospital operations at the very moment those systems were needed most.

Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía was seriously damaged and closed, while metro and rail services were suspended. The disruption cut movement corridors for patients, rescue crews and supplies. The Venezuelan government ordered preventive evacuations, suspended classes and non-essential activities, and opened reception centres for displaced residents.

The Venezuelan Red Cross deployed rescue and assessment teams overnight and activated prepositioned relief supplies, even as its national headquarters suffered critical damage and its hospitals and polyclinics remained active. UNICEF was working with UN agencies and local partners on child protection, health, water and sanitation, and psychosocial support. PAHO was coordinating with the Ministry of Health, Civil Protection and the Health Cluster, with specialists on standby for hospital safety, mass-casualty care and logistics. International Medical Corps was deploying mobile medical units, emergency hygiene kits, pharmaceuticals and clean water, and warned that blood banks risked depletion.

OCHA's preliminary count put the toll at 32 dead and more than 700 injured before the numbers climbed sharply. OCHA and PAHO estimated that about 3.9 million people were exposed to severe shaking across north-central Venezuela.