Venezuela 7.5 magnitude earthquake: Buildings collapse, tsunami warning issued

Two devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela in quick succession on Wednesday (June 24), bringing down buildings in the capital Caracas and sparking widespread panic at a nearby airport.

The US Geological Survey confirmed the first earthquake registered a magnitude of 7.1, with its epicentre located west of the community of Morón, situated along the country’s Caribbean coast, approximately 104 miles west of Caracas. The quake struck at a depth of eight miles.

Just minutes later, the USGS reported an even more powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake had hit the same region, at a depth of six miles, with its epicentre 10 miles southwest of Morón.

Videos circulating across social media captured scenes of chaos at an airport near the Venezuelan capital in the aftermath of the twin earthquakes, with damage reported at Simon Bolivar Airport in Maiquetia.

Structural collapses have since been reported across several districts of Caracas, including the municipality of Naguanagua, while widespread internet and mobile network outages have also been recorded throughout the affected areas, reports the Mirror.

Social media reports suggest that people remain trapped beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings in Falcón, Tucacas and the Los Palos Grandes district of Caracas, where search and rescue teams are understood to have launched operations following the collapse of a multi-storey building. Following the quake, a tsunami advisory was issued, warning of potentially hazardous tsunami waves along coasts within 300 kilometres of the earthquake’s epicentre.

A tsunami warning and evacuation is now under way in Lomas de Urdaneta.

Reports of a landslide in Montalban are also emerging in the aftermath of Wednesday evening’s earthquake in Venezuela.

Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed that the earthquake was felt across multiple states. He added that in the Altamira neighbourhood of Caracas, “alarming” situations were reported, with accounts suggesting that homes and buildings had collapsed.

He urged residents to remain outdoors, warning that aftershocks were likely and could cause further structural damage. Wednesday’s earthquakes rank amongst the most powerful to have struck Venezuela in more than a century.

In 1900, the San Narciso earthquake registered a magnitude of 7.6, while the 2018 Sucre earthquake measured 7.3. The tremors have also been felt in neighbouring Colombia, particularly in the Caribbean region and the north-east of the country, though no damage or casualties have been reported.

The Colombian Maritime Authority confirmed in a statement that there is no tsunami warning in place for Colombia’s Caribbean coastline.