This was not one, but two strikes. First a magnitude 7.2, then 7.5 just 39 seconds later, with the epicenter near San Felipe in Yaracuy state. Venezuela had no time to respond to the first tremor before the second one toppled everything that was already teetering. This very sequence explains the scale of destruction in La Guaira and Caracas.
Numbers that keep growing
As of Friday, authorities confirmed 920 deaths and 3,360 injured. Officially, 172 people remain trapped under the rubble. The most alarming figure is over 50,000 missing persons: a significant portion of them lived in the high-rise apartment buildings along the coast in Caraballeda, where according to NBC News, at least eight residential blocks were flattened along the coastal highway.
"Maiquetía Airport is closed due to serious infrastructure damage"
— Acting President Diosdado Cabello in a statement on state television
Rodríguez declared a state of emergency across the country, suspended metro and commuter rail operations, and announced a reconstruction fund of 200 million dollars.
The paradox of the closed airport
International aid—rescue teams from the USA, EU countries, and the UN—is already heading to Venezuela. But Simón Bolívar Airport, the country's only major international hub, is closed due to cracks in the main runway until at least July 2. American Airlines has cancelled Miami-Caracas flights, as have other airlines.
This creates a logistical deadlock: heavy equipment, medicines, and personnel cannot reach where they are needed most. According to AirInsight, humanitarian flights are being rerouted through alternative airports, but their capacity is disproportionately smaller.
Another tremor
While rescue operations continue, the country was shaken again: a magnitude 4.9 earthquake recorded after the main events. Rescuers are working on unstable ground and structures threatening to collapse.
The real question is not whether the death toll will rise—it will. The question is whether the airport will reopen before July 2, and if not—how many people trapped under the rubble will survive until the moment heavy equipment can finally land.
