The death toll from the earthquake in Venezuela could exceed 10,000 — forecast

The death toll from two powerful earthquakes in Venezuela could run into the thousands and is highly likely to exceed 10,000, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), based on predictive modeling. Reuters reports this.

On Thursday, June 25, two powerful earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela less than a minute apart. As a result, dozens of buildings collapsed in the capital, Caracas, and surrounding areas, trapping hundreds of people under the rubble.

According to the latest reports, 164 people have been confirmed dead. Another thousand or so were injured. A website for searching for missing persons, launched by opposition representatives and shared on social media, had received more than 10,000 reports of people whose whereabouts remained unknown by Thursday morning.

The state of La Guaira, located north of Caracas, was hit the hardest. It is home to Venezuela’s main Caribbean seaport and the Simón Bolívar International Airport. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared the region a “disaster zone.” A state of emergency has been declared in La Guaira, and a large-scale rescue operation is underway with the participation of the United States, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Qatar, according to the WSJ.

Bloomberg notes that the affected areas are experiencing disruptions in electricity, water, and gas service amid ongoing aftershocks.

According to preliminary reports, Venezuela's energy infrastructure was not damaged, Reuters reports. The British oil and gas company Shell, which is involved in assessing gas fields under development in the country, stated that all of its employees are safe.

Authorities in the city of Maracaibo, located near a major oil hub, reported that there were no casualties or injuries. An employee at the El Palito oil refinery, located near the epicenter, also reported that the facility sustained no damage.

However, a Reuters source warned that prolonged power outages in Venezuela could affect oil production levels. The state-owned oil company PDVSA did not respond to requests for comment.

Chevron, Venezuela's largest independent oil producer, said it continues to operate as usual and that all employees are in contact, according to Bloomberg.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor