Venezuela has been hit by a series of devastating earthquakes, prompting warnings of major potential hazards
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Two powerful earthquakes rocked north-central Venezuela on Wednesday afternoon, collapsing buildings in the capital Caracas and prompting scientists to warn of possible major hazards and widespread destruction across the South American country.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the first earthquake had a magnitude of 7.2 and its epicenter was west of the community of Morón, along the coast of the Caribbean country, about 168 kilometers west of Caracas.
The USGS reported an even larger 7.5-magnitude earthquake a minute later.
“Multiple accidents and extensive damage are possible, and the disaster is likely to be widespread,” the USGS said, initially estimating that the death toll could range from 10,000 to 100,000.
Authorities did not immediately provide death or injury estimates.
“We have buildings, homes and houses that have collapsed, and we are taking care of things with everything we have in terms of security, and public assistance,” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television. “The fire brigade, the police are all activated.”
In Chacao, a municipality in eastern Caracas, Mayor Gustavo Duque told broadcaster Globovision that two buildings had collapsed, injuring 16 people and causing death, although he did not give a death toll.
“We will do everything possible to rescue as many people as possible,” he said.
These earthquakes are among the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century.
The tsunami warning has been cancelled
The US Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami threat for Puerto Rico and the US and British Virgin Islands after the earthquake, adding that islands off the coast of Venezuela – Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire – could also be hit by dangerous waves. The warning was lifted an hour later.
Many Venezuelans were at home when the earthquake struck, celebrating a public holiday commemorating the 1821 military victory that secured the country’s independence from Spain.
Residents of Caracas rushed to evacuate as the first tremor shook buildings.
Maria Romero, an 80-year-old pensioner who lives in southern Caracas, said police helped her out of her building. “This earthquake was terrible, worse than the one in 1967,” he added.
Many residents in Caracas lost power or internet service shortly after the quake.
At Caracas’ Hospital de Clinicas, workers were asked to work double night shifts to help treat the injured, a worker there said. Video shot at the hospital shows a dark corridor with ceiling panels hanging from cables and pieces of concrete strewn across the floor.
An eyewitness said there were cracks on the side of their house and the glass in the entrance was shattered. The power went down quickly, the witness said.
“Several walls in my building were broken or cracks formed,” a witness from Valencia, west of Caracas, told Reuters. “As soon as it stops [shaking]My husband and I went [the building].”
Venezuela’s interior minister said the tremors could be felt in several provinces, adding that the Altamira area of Caracas had “shocking conditions” with houses and buildings collapsing. Cabello urged people to stay outside because the earthquake could damage some buildings.
He also suggested that people were injured in the earthquake, and asked drivers to make way for ambulances and other emergency vehicles.
“We understand that some people may be desperate, but we are acting according to the principles so that the relief and rescue efforts work to help those who need it the most,” Cabello said on state television. “Be very careful with children and old women, call each other and see if anyone is injured.”
Venezuela lies on a seismically active zone where the Caribbean Plate meets the South American Plate.
