Strong earthquakes in Venezuela kill at least 32, injure over 700: Acting president

At least 32 people have died in consecutive high-magnitude earthquakes in Venezuela and some 700 people are injured, Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez said.

These are the first figures she has provided on the number of deaths.

Seismologists confirmed that a massive 7.2 foreshock first struck near the municipality of San Felipe, the capital of Yaracuy state. Merely 40 seconds later, an even more catastrophic 7.5 mainshock occurred just southeast of Yumare.

The mainshock was the largest recorded earthquake to strike Venezuela and the strongest in over 125 years.

According to the USGS, the seismic event occurred at a depth of roughly 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), with its epicenter located just west of the coastal community of Moron. The violent tremors heavily shook the capital Caracas, causing the destruction of several buildings.

The USGS initially estimated that the death toll could reach anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 people.

With the primary goal of saving lives, authorities are focusing on rescuing people trapped in collapsed buildings and homes, Rodriguez said, according to local teleSUR TV.

According to the latest technical data from the US Geological Survey (USGS), northern Venezuela was violently rocked by an extraordinary double-seismic sequence.