A series of powerful earthquakes, including two measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitudes, struck Venezuela on Wednesday, causing buildings to collapse, disrupting a professional baseball game, and prompting evacuations as far away as the Brazilian Amazon. The initial 7.2 magnitude quake, with an epicenter west of Morón, struck shortly after 6 p.m. local time. A minute later, a 7.5 magnitude quake with an epicenter southwest of Morón occurred.
The seismic activity was dramatically captured on the national baseball league's YouTube channel, LMBP TV, during a game between the Carabobo Mariners and Caracas Senators. As players scrambled from their dugouts and batter Bryant Flete stepped away from the plate, stadium cameras visibly shook and netting cables swung. Announcers' voices reflected the panic as they departed their broadcast booth.
In Caracas, residents evacuated swaying buildings, with many visibly shaken by collapsed walls that exposed furniture to the streets. Dust columns rose from two neighborhoods in the capital, where businesses were typically bustling. Power and cellphone signals were lost in parts of the city, exacerbating the distress of families, particularly those with relatives who had emigrated during the country's protracted crisis.
People remained on the streets for hours after sunset, some with pets, as debris and toppled electric poles blocked roads. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is estimating between 10,000 and 100,000 deaths.
Buildings in Manaus, Belem, and Macapá in Brazil's Amazon region, approximately 1,000 miles away, were reportedly evacuated. The quakes were also felt in Colombia's Caribbean and northeast regions, though no damages or injuries were reported, and the country's Caribbean coast was determined to be at no risk of a tsunami. Tsunami alerts were issued for the Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic, and briefly for Puerto Rico, though these were later lifted.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez stated she was preparing to address the nation, but her government's delay in reporting on injuries or fatalities drew criticism. Opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González commented on X, noting that "The uncertainty becomes yet another layer of anguish."
Strong earthquakes are uncommon in Venezuela, which sits near multiple fault lines but straddles the South American and Caribbean plates. This geological setting makes major seismic activity less frequent compared to regions along the Pacific Ring of Fire, such as Mexico and Chile.
