A frantic search and rescue operation is underway in Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes struck the South American country on Wednesday.
Early reports indicate that at least 32 people have died, while more than 700 have been injured. There are fears that the death count may rise further as rescuers race against time to clear debris and rubble.
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Buildings collapsed in and around Caracas, the capital city which remains the worst affected. The first quake measured magnitude 7.2 and struck about 160 km west of Caracas. A second quake of magnitude 7.5 followed within a minute (3:35 am IST on Thursday), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
The USGS reported both tremors as a rare “doublet” quake event, while several aftershocks were also recorded.
Amid the devastating incident, the country’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez has declared a state of emergency.
Top 10 Deadliest Earthquakes On Record:
1. A magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti and devastated the capital, Port-au-Prince, on January 13, 2010. Around 3,16,000 people were killed in the disaster. The United Nations reported that nearly 80,000 buildings were destroyed across the capital and surrounding areas.
2. On December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Aceh in Indonesia’s Sumatra island. It triggered a massive tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean. More than 2,26,306 people were killed in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia and India.
3. Around 87,600 people were killed when a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Sichuan province in China on May 12, 2008.
4. On October 8, 2005, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake occurred northeast of Islamabad in Pakistan, in which at least 73,000 people were killed. The quake also hit Kashmir in India, where 1,244 people died.
5. The death countfrom the February 6, 2023, earthquakes in Turkey and Syria had surpassed 50,000, making it one of the deadliest quakes of this decade. Turkey alone reported more than 44,000 deaths.
6. On December 26, 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake was reported in Iran’s southeastern Kerman province. The city of Bam was devastated, and around 31,000 people were killed.
7. About 15,690 people were killed, and around 5,700 were injured when a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011. The disaster triggered the Fukushima nuclear crisis, the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.
8. Nearly 9,000 people were killed when a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Nepal on April 25, 2015. The disaster severely damaged homes, roads, and heritage sites. More than eight million people were affected across the country.
9. A magnitude 9.5 earthquake was recorded in Chile on May 22, 1960, affecting areas including Santiago and Concepcion. About 5,000 people were killed and around 2 million were left homeless.
10. On September 28, 2018, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Indonesia’s Sulawesi island. It triggered a tsunami about 1.5 metres high. More than 4,300 people were killed in the disaster.
