Venezuelan Double Quakes May Have Killed 100,000

Back-to-back earthquakes rocked Venezuela yesterday after 6 p.m. local time. The death toll is estimated in the tens of thousands; the United States Geological Survey says possibly up to 100,000. The first quake registered 7.2 on the moment magnitude scale, while the second, a minute later, registered 7.5, the strongest in Venezuela since 1900.

• The epicenters were about 100 miles west of the capital, Caracas, near San Felipe, a city of 220,000. Entire buildings collapsed in cities as far away as Caracas.
• Many Venezuelans were inside buildings yesterday for a public holiday. Numerous Venezuelans live in shantytowns or structures otherwise constructed on unstable foundations.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said the United States is in “permanent contact” with the Venezuelan government.

United States President Donald Trump, the Venezuelan government’s new patron, said he had “instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good!!!”

Venezuela’s situation was already dire. As of 2024, an estimated 73 percent of the population was in poverty, 36 percent in extreme poverty.

• The U.S. has been fighting a war against powerful drug cartels based in the country. The effects of the dual quakes will be felt by Venezuelans for a long time.

Rodríguez said authorities “are currently carrying out very intense rescue efforts to save as many lives as God allows us to save.”

Why did God allow the quakes to hit such a vulnerable country and cause so many deaths? Our Trends article “Why the Trumpet Watches Increased ‘Natural’ and Weather Disasters” has the answers. This article is also available in Spanish.