Venezuela: twin earthquakes expose shoddy construction

Venezuela's earthquake: buildings that cannot withstand even a quake

The twin earthquakes of magnitude 7.5 and 7.2 that shook Venezuela did not just bring buildings down: they also demolished the official narrative about construction quality. While earthquakes of similar intensity in Japan barely knock tiles loose, in Venezuela buildings collapse like houses of cards. The comparison is brutal and forces us to ask what lies behind so much fragility.

Soil or chavismo? The debate over the causes

One school of thought points to the ground: the affected area, with sandy sediments accumulated over more than a century, would be unsuitable for building without deep foundations. Others point directly at public management: apartment blocks built by the chavista government would have used substandard materials and techniques. Venezuela's seismic history, with devastating earthquakes such as the one in 1812 that left thousands dead, shows the region is no stranger to the risk, but the lack of modern prevention makes the disaster worse.

Geopolitical theories and the Trump factor

Amid the tragedy, conspiracy theories are never far away. The unusual decision not to evacuate the chavista leadership from Maiquetía, despite opposition control, has fuelled suspicions of a deal with the Trump administration to keep Delcy Rodríguez in power. Although unproven, these theories reflect the distrust of a regime that has always blamed external factors for its own structural failures.

Until there is an independent audit of the rubble, doubts about construction quality and the political shadows will continue to weigh heavily. The next earthquake will test not only the structures, but also the credibility of those who built them.