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Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela's northern coast on Wednesday, leveling buildings in Caracas and prompting fears of mass casualties. The larger quake was a magnitude 7.5 near Yumare, about 293 km west of the capital, following a 7.2 foreshock near San Felipe less than a minute earlier Source: CNN.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency and created a task force for search and rescue Source: Al Jazeera. The USGS estimated casualties could range from 10,000 to 100,000 Source: Al Jazeera. However, the extent of fatalities remains unclear; Al Jazeera reports Rodríguez "did not provide any information on injuries or fatalities," while CNN says she "confirmed there were fatalities" but did not give a count Source: Al Jazeera, CNN. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello described the Altamira neighborhood as facing an "alarming situation" with collapsed buildings .
“The US Geological Survey estimated that casualties could range from 10,000 to 100,000 people.”
“The USGS issued two separate red alerts through its PAGER system for the back-to-back quakes – indicating how serious the disaster may be.”
“Rodriguez did not provide any information on injuries or fatalities.”
“Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who stepped into the role after Maduro’s capture, confirmed there were fatalities and expressed condolences to victims’ families in a national address Wednesday night – but did not say how many had died.”
Seismic doublet rocks Venezuela: 7.2 and 7.5 quakes 39 seconds apart