Massive Quakes Rock Venezuela, Death Toll Could Exceed 10,000
LIVE COVERAGE: A pair of powerful earthquakes toppled high rise buildings across Venezuela. Thousands are feared dead or injured in what has been described as the strongest quake to hit the region since 1900. Watch videos of the damage below and click here to get my breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox or smartphone.
“High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” the U.S. Geological Survey said, with an initial death toll estimate likely between 10,000 and 100,000.
The USGS said a 7.2-magnitude quake struck west of Morón along the Caribbean coast, followed minutes later by a stronger 7.5-magnitude quake southwest of Morón. Buildings collapsed in Caracas, where residents remained outdoors as emergency crews responded.
“As soon as it started, we began hearing people screaming,” said Astrid Ramirez, a 41-year-old publicist in western Caracas. “Everyone was running down the stairs.”
In addition to the earthquakes in Venezuela, two other strong quakes struck across the world in less than a day. A 5.6-magnitude quake hit Northern California about seven hours earlier, and a 6.9-magnitude struck off the coast of Japan half an hour after the Venezuela earthquakes. Neither was reported to have caused any widespread damage.
“I felt the most terrified I have ever felt in my entire life,” Luisa Martínez, 68, a homemaker in Carabobo’s capital city of Valencia, told The New York Times. “The noise, the windows slamming open and shut, and everything creaking like never before — it was horrifying. My husband, my son, and I hugged each other and I started to pray, crying out to God to save us.”
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the capital’s Altamira neighborhood had “alarming situations” involving collapsed homes and buildings.
“We understand that some people may be desperate, but we are acting according to protocols to activate aid and rescue efforts to help those who need it most,” Cabello said on state television. “Be very careful with children and the elderly; call each other and check that no one has been harmed.”
Reuters reported that 80-year-old Caracas resident Maria Romero said police helped her evacuate. “This earthquake was horrible, even worse than the one in 1967,” she said. Another witness in Valencia said, “Several walls in my building broke open or cracks formed.”
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the Venezuelan quake was updated to magnitude 7.5 but later declared, “There is no longer a tsunami threat from this earthquake.”
Hours later, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Iwate in northern Japan at a depth of about 30 miles. Japan’s meteorological agency said there was “no danger of a tsunami,” and officials reported no immediate injuries, damage or abnormalities at nuclear facilities, including Fukushima Daiichi.
NHK journalists in Sendai and Morioka said they “felt the shaking for a couple of minutes” but “have not seen any damage.”