Venezuela puts earthquake zone under military command as death toll reaches 920 and 50,000 remain missing
Two days after twin tremors of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude devastated northern Venezuela, the government placed the hardest-hit state of La Guaira under military control, sealed access roads, and faced public anger as the official death toll rose to 920 and the UN reported more than 50,000 missing.
The double shock
On Wednesday evening, two powerful earthquakes, magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck within seconds of each other off Venezuela's Caribbean coast. The coastal state of La Guaira, which hosts the country's main international airport and seaport, bore the brunt of the destruction. More than 380 homes and 13 hospitals were either destroyed or severely damaged, along with shopping centres and other buildings, leaving over 1,400 structures partly or completely collapsed. The quakes were felt forcefully in the capital Caracas, where walls cracked and a high-rise tower crumbled into dust.
It felt as if you were no longer on solid ground, but on pudding. The windows moved. It was a nightmare.
Rescue against the clock
Rescue teams from several countries, including a Chilean unit, have been working under difficult conditions in a race against dwindling survival odds. Experts note that the chance of finding people alive falls sharply after 72 hours. By Friday, hundreds of aftershocks, more than 300 according to officials, continued to rattle the region, the latest a magnitude-4.9 tremor detected by the EMSC off the north coast. International aid has been slow, partly because the international airport near Caracas sustained heavy damage.
The search in the debris is a colossal task.
- Two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 strike off Venezuela's Caribbean coast, causing widespread destruction.
- Official death toll reaches 920; more than 3,300 injured and 50,000 missing. First rescue teams arrive, including a Chilean unit.
- Government puts La Guaira under military control and closes access roads. A magnitude-4.9 aftershock shakes the north coast.
Military command and road closures
On Friday the government declared La Guaira a disaster zone and put it under military control. National Assembly president Jorge Rodríguez said the armed forces would maintain public order and facilitate the work of rescue crews. Interior minister Diosdado Cabello announced the closure of access roads to La Guaira for humanitarian and health reasons, arguing that it was "necessary that everything proceeds in an orderly manner, according to the current situation." Volunteers must now register before entering the area.
Political tensions
Interim president Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed the role after US forces captured Nicolás Maduro in January, visited a wealthy quarter of Caracas where a building had collapsed, but was greeted with boos and chants of "out, out." Relatives of those trapped accused her of trying to extract political capital from the disaster. The protest came even as Rodríguez told the nation these were "critical hours for saving lives" and confirmed phone calls with US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who renewed offers of help. Germany's defence minister Boris Pistorius also pledged swift support.
These are critical hours for saving lives.
Oil production unaffected
The country's oil industry, a lifeline for the economy of roughly 30 million people, has not been hit by the earthquakes. Oil minister Paula Henao stated that production remains at 1.2 million barrels per day, all facilities are active, and the supply of fuel and natural gas is secure. Tens of thousands of newly homeless Venezuelans have been sleeping in parks, squares and even on motorway verges, adding to the strain on a country already suffering decades of economic hardship.
