The most shocking footage of Venezuela’s killer earthquake: Apocalyptic scenes, terrifying airport collapse and citizens cheating death
Harrowing images have revealed the extent of the damage and chaos caused in Venezuela by a pair of massive earthquakes last night.
Back-to-back earthquakes of magnitude 7.1 and 7.5 The earthquake struck close to the coast, sending terrified residents rushing out of shaking apartment blocks as walls collapsed and clouds of dust rose over the capital.
‘High casualties and major damage are likely and disaster is likely widespread,’ the US Geological Survey said, ‘initial death toll estimates are likely between 10,000 and 100,000.’
On Thursday, Venezuelan officials said at least 164 people were killed and hundreds were injured.
The quakes are among the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century, although strong earthquakes are unusual in the country.
In one particularly shocking video, the facade of a building collapsed on a busy street, forcing people to flee in fear.
Venezuelan citizens were heard screaming in terror and were seen running for their lives, catching each other as they fell.
A huge wave of dust and debris flew into the air, apparently blinding those in the street.
The man filming the clip was heard shouting someone’s name as he feared the worst. Car alarms rang out as bricks and mortar continued to fall.
When the earthquake hit, people held on to each other and screamed in fear.
One clip showed the sun setting over a nearly collapsed building
In another clip, the top of a building appeared to fall several stories and crash into the street below, while in a third clip, glass could be heard shattering as buildings on a busy street shook violently.
In footage taken from inside Simón Bolívar International Airport, a child was heard screaming in terror as most of the building’s internal structures collapsed.
As the entire airport shook, terrified people ran for their lives. Lights were flickering as the earthquake shook the electrical infrastructure.
A large part of the airport’s ceiling collapsed and a cloud of dust from broken construction material remained in the air.
Women were seen desperately trying to carry young children while taking their families to safety.
After the second earthquake, rescue teams took action and began searching for any signs of life.
In a clip shared around the world, a large group of first responders were seen trying to pull survivors from the rubble of a collapsed building.
Local residents of a collapsed building were seen working with rescuers to clear areas as quickly as possible, but many people watched in horror from the sidelines as countless people struggled to get what was once their home.
Footage shows a burgundy car partially buried under the ruins of a building
People were running for their lives at Simon Bolívar International Airport
A shocking clip showed a group of people in a baseball stadium watching in horror as a distant building collapsed, leaving a mass of dust in the air.
A horrified spectator was heard shouting: ‘Dio mio… [My god]’
A clip shot in the city of La Guaira showed the sun setting over a nearly completely collapsed building.
Drivers could be heard honking their horns and pedestrians mourning the destruction of their city. In La Guaira, each tower showed smoke rising from another area of the municipality.
The camera moves to another building, this one completely destroyed. A maroon car was seen crushed, with its rear end sticking out from under the mountain of rubble.
A man was seen wrapping a large strap around the wreckage and attempting to free it with another vehicle.
In another clip from La Guaira, a man on a motorcycle took over entire houses that were turned upside down after the earthquake.
In the footage, two people were seen peering through the fences and looking at the collapsed building.
The motorcyclist then passed a building that had almost completely collapsed, with only the ground floor remaining standing.
Although the epicenter is on land, the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami waves were possible off the coasts of Venezuela, Bonaire, Curaçao and Aruba.
The first tremor occurred at 6:04 p.m. Venezuelan time, approximately 27 miles northwest of Montalbán, Venezuela, and approximately 104 miles west of Caracas. The depth of the earthquake was 8 kilometers.
A large cloud of dust and debris was seen in the distance during a baseball game
Images showing the internal structures of Simon Bolívar International Airport falling apart
In a clip taken from the city of La Guaira, a man on a motorcycle captured all the houses turned upside down after the earthquake
Just a minute later, a second powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 hit the country, according to the USGS.
The second earthquake had a depth of 6 miles and its epicenter was 10 miles southwest of Morón, Venezuela.
The earthquakes occurred as many Venezuelans were home for Battle of Carabobo Day, a public holiday commemorating the 1821 victory that helped secure the country’s independence from Spain.
While Venezuela is located near numerous fault lines, its location between the South American and Caribbean plates means earthquakes are much less common than in other parts of Latin America.
Earthquakes are common along the Pacific coast (e.g. in Mexico and Chile); According to the USGS, the two countries lie on the seismically active tectonic belt known as the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, which is responsible for 90% of earthquakes.
