Twin earthquakes struck Venezuela overnight Wednesday and Thursday, killing at least 164 people [1].
The disaster has caused massive destruction in several regions, prompting an urgent international response to locate survivors and stabilize critical infrastructure.
Interim president Delcy Rodríguez said there are at least 164 deaths and 971 injured [2, 3]. The state of La Guaira is reported as the hardest-hit area, where the tremors caused significant casualties and structural collapse [4, 5]. While early reports from some outlets cited 32 deaths [6], updated figures from government and regional sources indicate a much higher toll.
Rescue operations are currently underway as the government coordinates with foreign aid. The Netherlands has already dispatched a team of rescue workers to assist in the search for survivors [1, 7].
Dutch officials are monitoring the situation closely to ensure the safety of their citizens. A spokesperson for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs said there are currently no signals that any Dutch nationals were among the victims [8].
Local authorities continue to search through debris in La Guaira. Emergency teams face the challenge of navigating unstable ruins to reach those trapped beneath buildings. The scale of the destruction has led to fears that the final number of victims could reach into the thousands [5].
Rodríguez said the government is prioritizing the delivery of medical aid, and shelter to the displaced populations. The twin nature of the seismic events increased the damage, as the second quake struck while residents and first responders were already dealing with the aftermath of the first tremor.
“Zeker 164 doden en 971 gewonden.”
The occurrence of twin earthquakes significantly compounds the humanitarian crisis, as the second tremor often collapses structures already weakened by the first. With La Guaira suffering the most damage, the reliance on international rescue teams suggests that local emergency capacities were quickly overwhelmed by the scale of the casualties and structural failure.
