A pair of earthquakes, the first measuring a magnitude of 7.2 and the second measuring 7.5, were reported Wednesday evening in northwest Venezuela, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There was heavy damage in the Venezuelan capital and largest city of Caracas, with video and images showing collapsed buildings and search and rescue crews scouring for survivors.
In a news conference late Wednesday night, acting president Delcy Rodriguez said Venezuela’s Simón Bolívar International Airport was closed and classes were canceled at schools nationwide.
The first earthquake was centered 17.6 miles northwest of the town of Montalbán, the USGS said, and struck at a depth of 8.2 miles. It was preliminarily reported as a 7.1 magnitude quake before being upgraded to a 7.2.
Less than one minute later, a second earthquake measuring at a magnitude of 7.5 struck just north of the first. It was centered about 21 miles northwest of Montalbán.
“This earthquake was the second event in a doublet, this magnitude 7.5 mainshock was preceded just 39 seconds before by a 7.2 foreshock,” the USGS said.
The quakes are among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century.
The exact extent of the damage and the casualty toll were still unclear. Venezuela’s state-run television channel, Venezolana de Televisión, reported that the earthquakes were felt across the country.
The quakes briefly triggered tsunami advisories in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, per the National Weather Service’s U.S. Tsunami Warning System. Those advisories were later canceled.
Manaure Quintero /AFP via Getty Images 
People remained on the streets of Caracas for hours, even after sunset. Some sat on the ground hugging their pets as dust gathered around them. Collapsed buildings, toppled electric poles and debris blocked streets. Parts of the capital lost power and cellphone signal.
The lack of cellphone signal in parts of Venezuela deepened the distress of many families, particularly those among the more than 7.7 million people who have left the country during its protracted crisis.
People evacuated swaying buildings in Caracas and remained outside, many visibly shocked as they saw entire walls that had collapsed, making furniture visible from the street. Dust columns could also be seen in two neighborhoods of the capital, where restaurants and other businesses are typically busy.
Manaure QUINTERO /AFP via Getty Images 
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the quake could be felt in several states, adding that the Altamira neighborhood in Caracas had “alarming situations” with collapsed homes and buildings. He urged people to remain outside as aftershocks could further damage some structures.
“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 TV. “Be very careful with children and the elderly; call each other and check that no one has been harmed.”
He also urged people to remain outside as aftershocks could further damage some structures.
AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos 
Maria Alejandra, a woman who escaped a collapsed building in Caracas, told Reuters that “all the walls were cracked” when the earthquakes struck.
“We managed to open the door however we could,” she said. “There was a cloud of smoke that wouldn’t let us see. And when we went downstairs, the scene was like a horror movie. We had to climb over the rubble and everything. The building superintendent with the baby and all the neighbors coming down. But from that building, I only saw that one family got out.”
An Agence France-Presse journalist saw a 22-story building completely destroyed in Caracas’ Altamira neighborhood, where people cried out relatives’ names as volunteers climbed over the rubble.
AP Photo/Adrian Naranjo 
“It started off gently and then gradually grew, and in the end, we all had to leave our houses, go outside and gather together,” Caracas resident Hector Ricci said.
“The building really shook from side to side. Unreal. The force was incredibly strong,” Caracas resident Roberto Damas said. “We were walking and it was tossing us around. Everything in the apartment fell. Well, thank God we were able to get out.”
Exiled Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado wrote on X, “My heart, my infinite embrace, and my prayers are with every Venezuelan home in these hours of anguish. May strength, serenity, and solidarity prevail among us in the face of this difficult moment.”
Buildings in Manaus, Belem and Macapá in Brazil’s Amazon were evacuated, according to reports on TV Globo.
The quakes were also felt in Colombia’s Caribbean and northeast regions, but there were no reports of damage or injuries. The Colombian Maritime Authority said in a statement that the country’s Caribbean coast wasn’t at risk of a tsunami.
Strong earthquakes are unusual in Venezuela.
While the country sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates makes earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America. Along the Pacific coast — in Mexico and Chile, for example — earthquakes are frequent. Those two countries sit along the seismically active tectonic belt known as the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” responsible for 90% of earthquakes, according to the USGS.
