Double Earthquake of Magnitude 7.5 Strikes Venezuela, Leaving Trail of Destruction in Caracas

Double Earthquake of Magnitude 7.5 Strikes Venezuela, Leaving Trail of Destruction in Caracas

A double seismic event of historic proportions struck the northern and north-central region of Venezuela late Wednesday afternoon (June 24), causing buildings to collapse, triggering massive power outages, and placing the entire Caribbean and South American regions on high alert. The disaster immediately mobilized national security forces in a race against time to rescue survivors.

The Scientific Phenomenon

According to data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the region was hit by a phenomenon known as a "doublet" — two major consecutive earthquakes within an interval of just 39 seconds:

5:04 PM (Local Time): A magnitude 7.2 foreshock occurred at a depth of 22 km, with its epicenter near San Felipe (Yaracuy state).

5:05 PM (Local Time): The main shock, measuring magnitude 7.5, struck the same region at an even more destructive depth of just 10 km.

The activity was generated by the release of tension along the complex Boconó-Morón-El Pilar fault system, which marks the tectonic boundary between the Caribbean and South American plates.

Impact and Rescue Operations

The capital city of Caracas suffered severe structural damage. Densely populated areas and neighborhoods such as Altamira and Chacao reported the total or partial collapse of residential and commercial buildings. Plumes of dust covered parts of the city immediately after the impacts, and telephone and electricity services were widely disrupted.

The Venezuelan government has declared a national state of emergency, ordered the preemptive closure of Simón Bolívar International Airport (Maiquetía), and suspended all school activities. The absolute focus of firefighting teams and Civil Defense is concentrated on search and rescue operations beneath the rubble.

The USGS issued a statistical red alert, indicating a high probability of significant fatalities due to population density and building vulnerability near the epicenter. A preventive tsunami warning was briefly issued for the Caribbean but was downgraded hours later.

International Response

The impact of the seismic waves was felt in neighboring countries. In Brazil, residents of high-rise buildings in northern capitals, such as Manaus (AM), Macapá (AP), and Belém (PA), reported strong building oscillations, prompting the preemptive evacuation of structures. There are no reports of injuries or structural damage on Brazilian soil.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil (Itamaraty) stated that its embassy in Caracas suffered only minor material damage and confirmed that, so far, no Brazilian citizens have been reported among the casualties.

Venezuelan authorities urge the population to remain calm and stay in open areas, given the ongoing risk of aftershocks that could compromise already weakened structures.