Among The Strongest Earthquakes In A Century, State Of Emergency Declared In Venezuela As Airport Shuts And 20 Aftershocks Hit
According to CBS News and the USGS, a pair of earthquakes; a 7.2 magnitude foreshock followed just 39 seconds later by a 7.5 magnitude mainshock, struck northwest Venezuela on Wednesday evening, collapsing buildings across the capital Caracas and sending residents flooding into the streets.
The quakes are among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century. The first was centred near Morón along the Caribbean coast, about 104 miles west of Caracas. The second struck just north of the first at a depth of only 10 kilometres, amplifying the destruction.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency and announced that Caracas’s international airport is closed due to heavy damage. At least 20 aftershocks have been recorded. Dozens of buildings collapsed across the city, including a bank, with the Altamira and Los Palos Grandes neighbourhoods among the worst hit.
The quakes briefly triggered tsunami advisories for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, which were later cancelled. The US is mobilising search-and-rescue teams and humanitarian supplies.
“The scene was like a horror movie,” one Caracas resident told Reuters after escaping a collapsing building.
Check out our previous coverage of Latin America and natural disasters here.
