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🇧🇩 Bangladesh /Disasters & Emergencies

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From Daily Star · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Two powerful earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, struck Venezuela, causing significant building collapses in Caracas.
  • Emergency services are responding to collapsed structures, including a 22-story building, with residents desperately searching for loved ones.
  • The government declared a state of emergency, closing the main airport due to severe damage, while the full extent of casualties remains unknown.

Caracas was rocked by two powerful earthquakes on Wednesday, causing widespread destruction and panic across the Venezuelan capital. The tremors, registered at magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 by the United States Geological Survey, led to the collapse of numerous buildings, including a 22-story residential complex in the Los Palos Grandes neighborhood.

Antonio, it's your mom, I'm right here

— A motherCalling out desperately amidst the rubble of a collapsed building.

Desperate scenes unfolded as residents and improvised volunteers searched through rubble for survivors. Cries of "Antonio, it's your mom, I'm right here" echoed near the remains of the collapsed 22-story building, highlighting the human toll of the disaster. The Petunia residential complex, usually a bustling area, was reduced to debris, with search efforts hampered by a lack of equipment.

Following the initial quakes, twenty aftershocks were recorded. Interim leader Delcy Rodriguez announced a state of emergency and confirmed the closure of the country's main airport due to severe damage. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello reported injuries but did not provide specific numbers, and the extent of fatalities remains unconfirmed.

We need flashlights

— An improvised volunteerDuring the search for survivors in the debris.

This seismic event marks one of the most significant in Venezuela's recent history. The country experienced deadly earthquakes in 1997, which killed 73 people, and in Caracas in 1967, resulting in 236 fatalities. The Los Palos Grandes area was also heavily impacted during the 1967 quake, with similar building collapses occurring.

Tania, Tania

— A searcherCalling out a name while searching the devastated site.

Survivors recounted harrowing experiences. Odalis Escalona, a bank employee, described the terrifying moments inside a shopping center where stairs crumbled and walls cracked. Zenia Gonzalez comforted a distressed teenager, recounting how they waited for the violent shaking to subside before fleeing. Maria Romero, an engineer, described the "deep roar" of the earthquake and her decision to evacuate her apartment rather than seek shelter indoors.

The stairs came away, the whole wall cracked. Things fell from the ceiling. It was horrible.

— Odalis EscalonaDescribing her experience inside a shopping center during the earthquake.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Daily Star. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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