Two powerful earthquakes struck north-central Venezuela on Wednesday, causing widespread building collapses and shutting down the country's main airport.

The disaster has paralyzed the capital city and surrounding regions, creating a humanitarian crisis as rescue workers scramble to find survivors trapped under rubble.

The first tremor registered a magnitude of 7.2 [1], followed shortly by a second quake with a magnitude of 7.5 [1]. The seismic activity centered on north-central Venezuela, primarily affecting Caracas and areas to the west of the capital [2].

Casualty reports vary across sources. NBC News said at least 188 people died [3] and at least 1,520 were injured [4]. Other reports from CNBC TV18 said there was a lower death toll of at least 164 [5] and more than 971 injuries [6].

Rescue workers and Venezuelan authorities are currently operating in the hardest-hit zones. Hundreds of people remain trapped under the debris of collapsed structures [7]. The scale of the destruction has hindered immediate relief efforts, especially with the primary airport closed to most traffic [2].

The earthquakes were caused by tectonic seismic activity in the region [8]. Authorities have not yet provided a final count of the missing or a timeline for the restoration of critical infrastructure in the capital.

“Two back-to-back tremors of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 caused building collapses.”

The occurrence of two high-magnitude earthquakes in rapid succession significantly increases the risk of casualties because the second tremor often collapses buildings already weakened by the first. The shutdown of the main airport further complicates the delivery of international aid and specialized search-and-rescue equipment to the disaster zone.