On June 24, Caracas experienced twin earthquakes that shook the city to its core. The first tremor registered a magnitude of 7.2, followed seconds later by a 7.5 quake, the strongest seismic events recorded by residents since the 1967 disaster.
Journalist Nicole Kolster, who lived in a seventh‑storey apartment in Palos Grandes, described the shaking as the most powerful earthquake she had ever felt. She was forced to seek cover between the front door and a stone wall as the building vibrated wildly.
The twin quakes caused widespread damage: collapsed buildings, cracked walls, broken utility poles and a loss of electricity and signal. Many residents were forced to evacuate into the streets as authorities advised them to stay outside waiting for aftershocks.
People on the holidays— a national Day of Commemoration—were at home when the earthquakes struck, magnifying the sense of panic. Emotional responses varied from tears to attempts to free cars from basements out of fear that further tremors might worsen the situation.
Relatives of those impacted by the previous 1967 quake say today’s events surpassed the earlier disaster. Coro Martinez recalled a loud crash that juggled pots, and eighty‑year‑old Maria Romero added that the recent quake was worse than the 1967 episode.
Rescue teams have been dispatched to search for survivors among rubble while authorities continue to tally casualties and assess the full extent of damage.
