SANTO DOMINGO.– A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake and another of 7.5 magnitude shook Venezuela yesterday afternoon, Wednesday, June 24, after 6:00 pm, leaving a state of desolation in the population and a death toll that, as of 5:00 am this Thursday, is estimated at 32 people dead and more than 700 injured.
Buildings in Caracas, the country's capital, destroyed, fears that the death toll will rise as rescue efforts in the worst-affected areas are just beginning, the country's main airport closed due to the damage suffered, are scenes described in reports from media outlets such as BBC News Mundo.
Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, reported that at least 32 people have died and more than 700 have been injured as a result of the earthquakes. "At this time, we have reports of 32 deaths, not yet including the figures from La Guaira state, and more than 700 injured people whom we have been receiving in emergency rooms at both public and private hospitals," the president stated during a broadcast on the state-run television channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).
The earthquakes caused severe damage to public and private infrastructure, building collapses, and scenes of panic in several cities across the country.
The Dominican Republic expresses its solidarity
President Luis Abinader reported Wednesday night that he had a conversation with the acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, to convey, on behalf of the Dominican people and government, a message of solidarity for the victims of the devastating earthquake that affected that country.
In a message posted on his X account, the president stated that he expressed to Rodríguez "our deepest solidarity in the face of the tragedy caused by the devastating earthquake," while announcing that the Dominican Republic will mobilize humanitarian aid.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the main earthquake reached a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 and occurred just 40 seconds after a 7.2 magnitude tremor in the same region. The agency documented that on October 29, 1900, an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.7 off the Venezuelan coast, northeast of Caracas, causing “considerable damage,” according to the institute's archives, as reported this Thursday by the news outlet Infobae, which notes that since then, no other seismic event in Venezuela had reached a similar magnitude.
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