Venezuela was hit by two earthquakes on Wednesday evening, with the strong tremors forcing people to rush out of homes, offices and public buildings as parts of several structures collapsed.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the first earthquake, measuring 7.2 in magnitude, struck near San Felipe, about 284 kilometres west of the capital, Caracas. It was followed almost immediately by a stronger 7.5-magnitude earthquake near Yumare, around 293 kilometres west of Caracas.
Photo Credit: Reuters
Acting President Rodriguez said that there are at least 32 people dead and 700 injured and warned the death count was expected to rise as rescuers search collapsed buildings and emergency crews reach devastated areas.
Deadliest earthquakes in history:
Valdivia, Chile, 1960
The Great Chilean Earthquake, also known as the Valdivia earthquake, is the strongest earthquake ever recorded. It struck southern Chile on May 22, 1960, with a magnitude of 9.5. It killed around 1,655 people, injured thousands, and left about 2 million people homeless.
Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1964
A magnitude 9.2 earthquake was recorded in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 27, 1964. It is the most powerful earthquake ever in North America and the second largest in world history. There were 131 fatalities linked to the earthquake; 115 in Alaska, 16 in Oregon and California.
Firefighters intervene on a damaged building on March 30, 1964 in Anchorage, Alaska, after the March 27, 1964 earthquake
Photo Credit: AFP
Sumatra, Indonesia, 2004
The Sumatra-Andaman earthquake took place on December 26, 2004, off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island, with a magnitude of 9.1. The disaster killed around 230,000 people. Indonesia was the worst-hit country, recording more than 167,000 deaths.
This US Navy handout photo taken January 2, 2005 shows a village along the coast of Sumatra in ruins after an earthquake and tsunami stuck off the coast December 26
Photo Credit: AFP
Tohoku, Japan 2011
A 9.1-magnitude earthquake hit the coast of north-east Japan on March 11, 2011. This caused a massive tsunami with waves reaching up to 130 feet in some areas. It also hit the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. More than 18,000 people were killed or went missing in the earthquake and tsunami.
Maule, Chile, 2010
A powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake was recorded in central Chile on February 27, 2010. The tsunami also hit eight of Chile’s 15 regions, affecting nearly 2,000 kilometres of coastline. The twin disasters killed 526 people and affected about 1.8 million people.
Turkey-Syria, 2023
On February 6, 2023, a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey near the border with Syria. It was followed by several strong aftershocks, including another major earthquake measuring 7.5. More than 59,000 people were killed in Turkey and Syria.
This picture taken on June 11, 2023, shows a White Helmets Civil Defence excavator removing debris from a building, damaged in the February 6 earthquake, in the town of Armanaz, in the northwestern part of Syria’s Idlib province
Photo Credit: AFP
Nepal, 2015
A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake was recorded in Nepal on April 25, 2015, with its epicentre near the town of Gorkha, northwest of the capital, Kathmandu. Nearly 9,000 people were killed and more than 22,000 were injured.
