Two powerful earthquakes, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, have struck northern Venezuela. The tremors occurred around 6:04 p.m. local time (midnight in mainland Spain). President Delcy Rodríguez has confirmed at least 164 deaths and a thousand injuries.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released a report estimating a 42% probability that the death toll from the earthquakes in Venezuela will range between 10,000 and 100,000. Rodríguez added that La Guaira—a coastal state in the north of the country near Caracas—is the most affected area, with “dozens” of collapsed buildings. “We can say that the state of La Guaira is a true tragedy and has become a disaster zone,” Rodríguez said.
The magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck Venezuela on Wednesday was the strongest to hit the country or its nearby waters since 1900, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake was recorded off the coast of this South American country on October 29, 1900, according to the USGS catalog.
As there were no modern instrumental records of that earthquake, the magnitude calculation is based on reports of damage and effects in the area, said Paul Earle, a USGS geophysicist.
The so-called San Narciso earthquake of 1900 shook Caracas in the early morning, killing 21 people and injuring 50, while also causing the collapse of churches, public buildings, and homes throughout the city, according to an impact report by the agency.
