State of emergency declared in Venezuela after back-to-back powerful quakes

International

TWO powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening, causing buildings to collapse in the capital of Caracas and sending residents fleeing onto the street.

Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency and confirmed fatalities, although she did not disclose the number of casualties.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the first earthquake registered a 7.2 magnitude and struck at a depth of 22 kilometers (14 miles). Its epicenter was located west of the community of Morón, located Venezuela’s Caribbean coast, about 168 kilometers (104) miles west of Caracas.

A minute later, a stronger 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), with its epicenter located 16 kilometers (10 miles) southwest of Morón.

The US National Weather said the Caribbean tsunami alerts for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands had been lifted following the earthquakes, a report by CNN stated.

“As soon as it started, we began hearing people screaming,” Astrid Ramirez, a 41-year-old publicist in western Caracas, told Reuters. “Everyone was running down the stairs.”

Residents said they immediately evacuated as buildings shook.

“There was a very loud crash. Things fell in the house; jugs inside the refrigerator. I’ve never experienced anything like it,” Coro Martinez, 56-year-old who lives in eastern Caracas, told Al Jazeera.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the earthquakes were felt across several states. He added that the Altamira neighborhood in Caracas experienced “alarming situations” after homes and buildings collapsed, and urged residents to remain outdoors as aftershocks could cause further structural damage.

Strong earthquakes are uncommon in Venezuela.

According to the USGS, although the country lies near multiple fault lines, its location along the boundary of South American and Caribbean tectonic plates makes major earthquakes much less frequent than in other parts of Latin America. (Mary Elaine Virtucio, UP Cebu Comm Intern)