Twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude struck Venezuela on Wednesday, leaving a rising death toll and widespread destruction in a nation already grappling with political divisions and infrastructure weaknesses, according to initial assessments. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency and assigned National Guard commander General Juan Ernesto Sulbarán to coordinate the response, while calling for unity among a population split for more than a decade. The quakes, which occurred in quick succession with shallow depths near coastal areas west of Caracas, have been described as a devastating blow to Venezuela at a time of uncertainty, BBC News reported.
Rodríguez, visibly shaken in her televised address more than two hours after the tremors, thanked the administration of US President Donald Trump for maintaining contact and offering support along with leaders from the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Chile. She framed the acceptance of such assistance as a departure from previous policies that limited aid to ideological allies, according to the BBC News account. The interim leader stated, “The solidarity between our people is a invaluable source of strength in moments like these.”
US Geological Survey data showed that more than 6 million people experienced very strong shaking while nearly 500,000 were exposed to severe levels, with vulnerable structures across the region heightening risks in populated zones. A USGS publication on Venezuelan seismology noted that the country has endured about 180 damaging earthquakes over four centuries, including the catastrophic 1812 event on the Boconó fault that killed an estimated 30,000 people in Caracas and Mérida. The latest tremors follow a 2018 magnitude 7.3 offshore quake that the USGS said provided important data on regional hazards.
Venezuela’s infrastructure entered the crisis in a weakened state after years of shortages and underfunding, with the collapse of the state-owned cement industry following its nationalization under former President Hugo Chávez cited as a key factor in deteriorated public housing, the BBC News report indicated. International Monetary Fund figures project 4.0 percent real GDP growth for 2026 even as consumer prices are forecast to surge by 387.4 percent, underscoring persistent economic pressures from sanctions, mismanagement and oil dependence. World Bank statistics placed annual GDP growth at 5.3 percent in 2024, yet independent observers have recorded contractions in non-oil sectors during early 2025.
The disaster arrives less than six months after US forces seized Nicolás Maduro in a dawn raid on the presidential compound in Caracas and transported him to New York for a drug-trafficking trial, leaving Delcy Rodríguez to assume interim leadership, according to the BBC News article. A WOLA analysis of the period since the disputed July 2024 presidential election detailed intensified political persecution, including arbitrary detentions and restrictions on civic organizations that have deepened national divisions. The Atlantic Council has described the 2024 vote as a pivotal moment that eroded electoral integrity and compounded stability challenges.
Media restrictions inherited from the Maduro era, which closed hundreds of local radio stations and news sites, have complicated information flow in the aftermath, the BBC News report added. Rodríguez’s government has replaced some military figures in technical ministries with civilians, such as an architect at housing and an electrical engineer at energy, in what appears an effort to address longstanding expertise gaps. Rescue operations continue as families await news of those trapped in rubble, with emergency services operating under the newly declared state of emergency.
