Two people have died and at least 37 others were injured following a 6.3-magnitude earthquake that struck northern Venezuela. The quake hit on Monday afternoon, with its epicenter located off the coast of Sucre state, near the town of San Antonio del Golfo, according to Venezuela's Foundation for Seismic Research. Buildings swayed in Caracas, more than 300 kilometers away, and residents evacuated homes and offices as far as the capital. Search and rescue teams have been deployed across affected areas, with emergency workers focusing on collapsed structures in Sucre and Anzoátegui states. Al Jazeera correspondent Noris Soto, reporting from Caracas, described teams using heavy machinery and sniffer dogs to comb through rubble. One survivor was pulled from a damaged apartment building in Cumaná after more than 12 hours. Hospitals in the region are treating the injured, with some patients transferred to Caracas for advanced care. Civil defense officials warned of aftershocks and urged residents to remain outdoors. The government has activated emergency protocols, though no nationwide state of emergency has been declared. Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro has not made a public statement on the disaster. The search continues into the third day, with teams focusing on areas where people remain trapped.
The government's silence in the first 24 hours after the earthquake contrasts with the urgency expressed by rescue teams on the ground. Two deaths have been confirmed, though the full extent of structural damage remains unclear. If critical infrastructure was compromised in Sucre or Anzoátegui, delayed coordination could worsen outcomes for injured survivors. The absence of a public statement from President Maduro raises questions about crisis communication during natural disasters.
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