Two powerful earthquakes strike Venezuela, killing at least 188 people

Rescue teams worked through collapsed buildings and blackout zones in La Guaira as Venezuela’s death toll from the twin earthquakes climbed to at least 188, with hundreds still trapped or missing. The first quake, initially measured at magnitude 7.1 and later revised to 7.2 by the U.S. Geological Survey, struck off the Caribbean coast west of Morón, about 168 kilometers west of Caracas. A second quake followed within about a minute, registering magnitude 7.5 and centered 16 kilometers southwest of Morón.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said Simón Bolívar International Airport was damaged and closed, and she ordered classes canceled for several days while urging health care professionals nationwide to report to hospitals. Authorities later declared La Guaira a disaster zone and called it the hardest-hit state, with dozens of collapsed buildings, trapped residents, power cuts and cellphone outages.

The toll rose quickly as crews pushed into damaged districts around Caracas and other hard-hit cities. The number injured was 971. Aid, rescue teams and other international assistance were moving rapidly into the country as Venezuelan emergency teams were deployed nationwide. The U.S. Geological Survey’s PAGER system issued a red alert, warning that high casualties and extensive damage were probable and that the disaster was likely to be widespread.

The quakes were felt far beyond Venezuela, reaching Brazil’s Amazon roughly 1,700 kilometers away, and they landed in a country facing hyperinflation, insecurity and a displacement crisis. The communications blackout made it harder for families to learn whether relatives had made it out alive, while hospitals and shelters absorbed a rising stream of casualties and displaced residents.