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7.5 magnitude quake is largest to hit Venezuela in more than a century

  • Writer: The San Juan Daily Star
    The San Juan Daily Star
  • 2 hours ago
  • 2 min read
Members of the Bolivarian National Guard search the rubble of a residential building in Caracas, Venezuela, after twin earthquakes on Wednesday night, June 24, 2026. Rescue crews intensified their search for survivors on Thursday as Venezuelans began to grapple with the scale of the devastation caused by the worst earthquakes to hit the country in nearly six decades. (Adriana Loureiro Fernandez/The New York Times)
Members of the Bolivarian National Guard search the rubble of a residential building in Caracas, Venezuela, after twin earthquakes on Wednesday night, June 24, 2026. Rescue crews intensified their search for survivors on Thursday as Venezuelans began to grapple with the scale of the devastation caused by the worst earthquakes to hit the country in nearly six decades. (Adriana Loureiro Fernandez/The New York Times)

By AMY GRAFF 


The magnitude 7.5 earthquake in Venezuela on Wednesday was the largest to strike the country or just off its coast since 1900, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.


A magnitude 7.7 earthquake was recorded near the coast of the South American country on Oct. 29, 1900, according to the USGS catalog.


Because recordings of this quake from modern instrumentation were not available, that magnitude calculation is based on reports of damage and effects in the area, said Paule Earle, a geophysicist with the USGS.


The so-called San Narciso Earthquake of 1900 shook Caracas early in the morning, killing 21 people and injuring 50 more while toppling churches, public buildings and homes across the city, according to an impact report from the agency.


First responders attempt to remove bodies trapped in the rubble of a residential building that collapsed during an earthquake in Pinto Salinas, Venezuela, on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. Rescue crews intensified their search for survivors on Thursday as Venezuelans began to grapple with the scale of the devastation caused by the worst earthquakes to hit the country in nearly six decades. (Adriana Loureiro Fernandez/The New York Times)
First responders attempt to remove bodies trapped in the rubble of a residential building that collapsed during an earthquake in Pinto Salinas, Venezuela, on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. Rescue crews intensified their search for survivors on Thursday as Venezuelans began to grapple with the scale of the devastation caused by the worst earthquakes to hit the country in nearly six decades. (Adriana Loureiro Fernandez/The New York Times)

The New York Times received details of the massive quake more than two weeks later and reported Nov. 17, 1900, that “some 300 buildings collapsed, the tower of the university and several church spires fell, and the Government buildings were more or less damaged.”


A large number of Venezuelans were left to live in tents, the Times reported.


The USGS estimated that Wednesday’s quake, which was preceded by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake, could be far deadlier than the one in 1900, though the human toll and the scale of the damage were not yet clear. Experts said the two quakes were related, describing the 7.2-magnitude quake as a foreshock and the 7.5 one as the main shock.


“An earthquake can cause stress changes in the ground, and that can cause other earthquakes, which is likely what occurred in Venezuela,” said William Barnhart, a geophysicist with the USGS.


Venezuela sits between the South American and Caribbean tectonic plates, so earthquakes are somewhat common, he added.


Venezuela has been struck by other earthquakes of magnitudes of 7.0 and above. A magnitude 7.3 quake struck Aug. 21, 2018, and a magnitude 7.0 quake was recorded July 9, 1997.

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