Venezuela earthquake: twin quakes devastate La Guaira, 30,000 missing

Venezuela earthquake: the doublet that devastated La Guaira leaves more than 30,000 missing

What really peine on June 26 in Venezuela? Two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, 39 seconds apart, struck the coast of La Guaira, a densely populated area with a history of disasters. Communications were immediately cut, and the government took two hours to react. In Caracas, the movement was violent but without serious damage; the epicenter was in the sea, off La Guaira, where more than 45 buildings collapsed.

The seismic doublet that surprised specialists

Seismographs recorded a rare phenomenon: two almost simultaneous earthquakes with nearby epicenters that generated continuous shaking. The magnitudes, 7.2 and 7.5, are similar to those of catastrophic earthquakes in Turkey or Japan, but the vulnerability of the buildings made the difference. While in countries with anti-seismic regulations these movements barely leave damage, in La Guaira tall buildings collapsed like houses of cards.

45 buildings collapsed and the construction paradox

The list of fallen structures is long: Residencias Mariola, Gran Terraza, Breogan, Caribe, La Trinidad, Edificio Rosanday, Costa Brava, and dozens more. The most striking fact is that low-rise, precarious homes, the so-called "casas de paco," withstood better than the skyscrapers. In the words of witnesses, "a casa de paco can collapse, but it is much less terrible than a large residential complex." The lesson is that height is not safety when concrete does not meet standards.

30,000 missing and a late government response

The first 24 hours were chaos. The government declared the area a disaster zone and asked that uncoordinated aid not be sent to avoid obstructing roads. However, the initial inaction—two hours without communication with the country—and the arrival of police only after a day generated criticism. More than 30,000 missing were reported, a figure that includes tourists and residents trapped under the rubble. Among them, it is estimated that there are some 140,000 Spanish citizens in Venezuela, concentrated in Caracas, La Guaira, Miranda and Carabobo; the probability of Spanish victims is 0.1%, according to preliminary calculations.

The shadow of conspiracies and disaster tourism

Theories about a possible use of geophysical weapons or even an annexation plan were not lacking, but the evidence points to a natural phenomenon aggravated by poor construction. Health authorities warned against disaster tourism: curious onlookers and influencers who travel out of solidarity end up collapsing roads and hindering rescue efforts. Meanwhile, survivors such as the one writing from a 22nd-floor apartment in Caracas say that the worst was not the shaking, but going up and down 22 floors for days because the elevators do not work.

With these numbers and a slow response, the question hanging in the air is whether Venezuela will learn something from this catastrophe. Judging by history, it is doubtful.