Venezuela Earthquakes
Insane Videos Show Utter Chaos
As Death Toll Hits 164, 971 Injured
Published
Two massive earthquakes rocked Venezuela on Wednesday, killing at least 164 people and injuring nearly 1,000 others while buildings shook, and the power went out across the country.
Videos circulating online captured all the chaos caused by the quakes — one of which was considered the worst in over a century in Venezuela.
The first quake struck with a magnitude of 7.2, and then about a minute later, a more powerful 7.5-magnitude quake hit the South American country, according to U.S. monitoring agencies. The epicenter of the quakes was near the city of San Felipe, which has a population of about 220,000 and is roughly 127 miles west of the capital of Caracas.
Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez announced the staggering death and injury tolls, noting that the numbers did not factor in the city of La Guaira, which was hardest hit with dozens of buildings destroyed.
In Caracas, more buildings collapsed as frightened people ran through the streets, and pockets of the capital went dark after the power went out. Subway and train service also came to a halt.
After declaring a state of emergency, President Rodríguez directed doctors and nurses to immediately report to work. She also provided housing to displaced citizens at hotels and shelters after their homes were leveled and asked the public to report missing people to the government.
Meanwhile, two more earthquakes also struck Wednesday in Northern California and in Japan. The California quake registered 5.6 on the Richter scale with reports of injuries and power outages. In Asia, the 6.9 magnitude quake hit off the coast of Japan with no reports of serious damage or injuries.