Interim President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday afternoon.
The disaster has devastated the state of La Guaira and nearby Caracas, causing widespread structural failure and a mounting death toll. This event represents a critical humanitarian crisis for the region as rescue operations struggle to navigate collapsed urban centers.
The seismic activity consisted of two successive earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 [1] and 7.5 [1]. The tremors led to the collapse of hundreds of buildings [2], leaving a trail of destruction across the port city of La Guaira and the capital city of Caracas.
Casualty reports vary as emergency crews search the rubble. Some reports indicate at least 32 dead [3] and more than 700 injured [3], while other estimates place the death toll at more than 164 [1] with around 1,000 people injured [1].
Rodríguez said the situation in La Guaira is a "true tragedy" and said that the area has become a "disaster zone" [3]. The interim president said that hundreds of buildings have collapsed [3].
In addition to the structural damage, the region has faced severe electrical outages and disrupted infrastructure. Rescue teams are currently working to locate survivors trapped beneath the debris of residential and commercial properties, a task complicated by the scale of the collapses.
Government officials have not yet provided a final tally of the missing or a comprehensive plan for long-term reconstruction. The priority remains the immediate extraction of survivors and the provision of emergency medical care to the thousands affected by the tremors.
“"The state of La Guaira is a true tragedy and it becomes a disaster zone"”
The scale of the destruction in La Guaira and Caracas highlights the vulnerability of the region's urban infrastructure to high-magnitude seismic events. With death toll estimates ranging from 32 to over 164, the discrepancy suggests a chaotic early rescue phase and a likely increase in confirmed casualties as more rubble is cleared. The state of emergency allows the government to mobilize military and civil resources, but the total collapse of hundreds of buildings indicates a long-term displacement crisis for the local population.
