2 major earthquakes strike northern Venezuela, near Caracas

Two powerful earthquakes struck northern Venezuela on Wednesday, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, occurring less than a minute apart near the town of Morón on the Caribbean coast, about 100 miles west of Caracas. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed the epicenters were roughly three miles apart, describing the pair as a rare "doublet" — the strongest of which is the largest earthquake to hit Venezuela since a 7.7-magnitude event in 1900. Seismologist Paul Earle noted the close timing made it difficult to precisely determine the location and magnitude of the second quake due to overlapping seismic signals. In the capital, Caracas, buildings collapsed, debris fell at Simón Bolívar International Airport, and the facility has since been closed. Videos and photos from social media captured scenes of panic as people fled into the streets. The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, declared a state of emergency, stating that several states had sustained damage and calling for national unity and calm. USGS modeling projected potential fatalities in the thousands to tens of thousands, with economic losses estimated in the billions to tens of billions of dollars, though exact figures remain unconfirmed. Aftershock forecasts indicate a 40% chance of another magnitude 6 or higher quake in the region within the next week, and near certainty of at least a magnitude 5. Tsunami warnings issued earlier for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were later canceled. A 6.9-magnitude earthquake also struck Japan's east coast about half an hour after the Venezuela quakes, while a 5.6-magnitude tremor hit Northern California earlier Wednesday, neither causing major damage.

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