“Really terrifying”: Caracas faces the effects of the Venezuela earthquake | Earthquake news

CARACAS, Venezuela — Two earthquakes struck Venezuela in quick succession on Wednesday, causing catastrophic damage to cities from La Guaira to the capital, Caracas.

As of Thursday, at least 188 deaths had been recorded, and thousands more infections had been reported.

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The twin quakes were measured at the upper end of the Richter scale, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, respectively, on a nine-point scale. Buildings collapsed as the ground undulated, leaving people trapped under the rubble.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, many residents in the Caracas metropolitan area recounted their experiences of trauma.

Maria Gonzalez, 52, said: “I was at home, and the house started shaking violently. At first, I thought the wind was coming through the windows, but when I looked outside and saw that it was shaking too, I held on to the doorway and started praying.”

Gonzalez lives in the municipality of Chacao, on the outskirts of Caracas, one of the most seismically active areas in the state of Miranda. She stated that several items in her home fell.

Although the building she lives in was not damaged, she chose to stay in Plaza Altamira, an open area in the city center, waiting for things to return to normal. More than 10 aftershocks occurred after the initial seismic activity.

“I stayed in the street until three in the morning because I would leave my house every time the aftershocks hit,” Gonzalez explained. “People were having nervous breakdowns and crying.”

Buildings collapsed in Caracas on the evening of June 24, after two major earthquakes struck Venezuela. [Julio Blanca/Al Jazeera]

Sixty-year-old Alejandro San Cristobal was struck by the earthquake while walking along Sucre Street in Chacao. In a moment of panic, he tried to distance himself from the surrounding buildings. He added: “I threw myself in the middle of the street.”

Struggling to maintain his balance, he noticed the cars swaying in the street as the ground shook. People were screaming.

“The noise was like a locomotive, not to mention the dust rising in the street,” San Cristobal recalls.

He is now waiting for officials to complete a seismic assessment of the building he lives in, given its age.

He added: “It appears that the water tanks on the roof have suffered some damage. But in general, they are in good condition, unlike other buildings whose walls have all collapsed.”

Eunice Arias, 45, works at a currency exchange shop in the Altamira neighborhood, and felt the quake while on her way home in La California, another area on the outskirts of Caracas.

“It was terrifying — the buildings shaking, the pillars roaring,” Arias said. “It was really terrifying.”

A couple of pedestrians walk past a building in Caracas that sustained damage to its facade during the June 24 earthquakes [Julio Blanca/Al Jazeera]

Arias recalled experiencing minor earthquakes in Venezuela, which lies along a tectonic plate barrier. But it is nothing compared to the seismic activity that occurred on Wednesday, not least because two earthquakes occurred in quick succession.

“I thought the building was going to collapse,” Arias said. “I had just arrived at my apartment when the lamps and televisions started falling. It was horrific and indescribable.”

Arias cried as she talked about her family, which was on her mind during the earthquakes. To calm down, she spent hours in her car trying to comprehend what had happened.

There was no major damage to her building, but when she arrived at work Thursday, Arias saw that Altamira was among the hardest-hit areas.

“They are searching my office building to see if it is possible to get in,” Arias said.

The Venezuelan capital remained in a state of shock on Thursday morning following the earthquake.

Many people slept all night in public squares, and some tried to go to work. In neighborhoods such as Altamira, Los Palos Grandes and El Paraiso, dozens of families lost their homes.

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