Strong back-to-back earthquakes hit Venezuela causing serious damage; ministries mobilize to help

Powerful back-to-back earthquakes (magnitude 7.2 and 7.5) shook northern Venezuela on Wednesday, with the epicenter near the city of Maiquetía. The first images reveal severe infrastructure destruction, as reported by Diario Cristiano Internacional in its initial coverage of this emergency.

The earthquake also caused the issuance of a preventive tsunami alert for several coastal areas of the Caribbean.

The seismic event, recorded at 6:15 p.m. local time, consisted of two consecutive movements that strongly affected multiple states of the country. Regions such as Yaracuy, Barquisimeto, Valencia and the coastal area of Miranda felt the waves, followed by a series of aftershocks.

In addition to the physical emergency, there was a crisis of basic services, experiencing prolonged power cuts and the fall of internet service.

Structural impact in Caracas

The Venezuelan capital experienced the natural phenomenon with great force, resulting in the detachment of facades and the collapse of some buildings. The city's infrastructure, weakened by years of neglect, showed high vulnerability to tectonic forces, generating immediate panic among the population.

Various community leaders have begun documenting the extent of the destruction in their respective areas.Pablo Salcedo, director of Youth with a Mission in Caracas, detailed the effects in his area, noting that "around here there is a lot of infrastructure, buildings, cracked houses."

The precarious situation of the large housing complexes has raised deep alarm among the media and local communicators monitoring the emergency. Amid the destruction of homes, Salcedo described the severity of the situation in his neighborhood, stating that "it seems that an entire building fell."

Community assistance in an emergency

Even though his own headquarters was shaken as if on a ship, the ministry teams remained unharmed and resumed operations. These Christian groups in the capital have quickly deployed to the streets to offer assistance.

Missionary youth staff continue to tour neighborhoods to assist families who evacuated their homes during the emergency. Regarding this immediate work with the victims, Salcedo said that "we have been calming down, giving words of encouragement in the midst of this anxiety."

This article was originally published at CP Español