A rare doublet earthquake of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela within 45 seconds, sparking panic. Buildings were damaged in Caracas, tremors were felt as far as Aruba-Curaçao and a tsunami alert was issued.
Caracas: Wednesday morning proved to be a nightmare for Venezuela and the surrounding Caribbean countries. The coastal area of northern Venezuela suddenly witnessed a horrifying scene that has shaken even modern science and disaster management systems. The tremendous upheaval in the heart of the earth has started turning the smiling cities into heaps of debris within a moment. This devastating incident has plunged not only Venezuela, but the entire Caribbean region into an atmosphere of deep fear and uncertainty.
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Mystery of ‘Doublet’: Two earthquakes occurred within 45 seconds!
According to scientists of the US Geological Survey (USGS), this was not a common earthquake, but an extremely rare and deadly form of nature, which in the language of geology is called ‘Doublet’ earthquake. In this mysterious event, two extremely powerful earthquakes occur back-to-back i.e. one after the other. The chronology of this disaster was as follows:
- First Shock (Foreshock): The first massive earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale shook the entire earth. People had not even recovered their senses when the second cycle of death began.
- Second shock (mainshock): Just 40 to 45 seconds after the first shock, an even stronger and main earthquake of magnitude 7.5 suddenly occurred.
- Center of destruction: Scientists said the epicenter of this main earthquake was underground, about 23 kilometers northwest of Yumare in northern Venezuela. The combined impact of these two shocks completely shook the infrastructure of the buildings.
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Chaos in Caracas: When morning silence turned into screams
As soon as the first shock of the earthquake occurred, there was chaos all around in the capital Caracas. A doom-like atmosphere was seen in shopping centres, offices and residential societies. The ground was shaking so violently that multi-storey buildings started shaking like a house of cards. People ran towards the streets screaming in despair to save their lives. Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed the state of emergency, saying that Caracas’ posh neighborhood ‘Altamira’ is currently in the most “worrying situation”. Many luxurious houses and big buildings have collapsed here. The Home Minister has appealed to the extremely scared citizens not to go back inside the buildings at any cost right now, because the continuous ‘aftershocks’ (mild tremors after the earthquake) can completely raze the already dilapidated structures and pose a threat to additional life and property.
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52 lakh people affected: Were thousands of lives buried under the debris?
The scale of this double earthquake can be gauged from the fact that in the videos floating on social media, big buildings can be seen collapsing and turning into clouds of dust. Although the government has not yet officially released the death toll, the preliminary report from the American agency USGS has shocked the world.
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Serious warning from USGS: “This unprecedented double seismic event is expected to cause massive loss of life and property. Nearly 52 lakh people have experienced tremors ranging from ‘strong’ to ‘violent’, and thousands are feared to have lost their lives under debris.” At present, emergency relief and rescue teams (Disaster Management Teams) are engaged in the mission of removing the debris and bringing out the trapped people safely, but the real scale of the devastation is yet to be revealed.
Scary movement in the sea: Tsunami alert from Aruba to Puerto Rico!
The tremors of this great earthquake were not limited to Venezuela only, but their echoes were felt in neighboring countries and Caribbean islands such as Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire and Guyana. Even in Bogota, the capital of neighboring country Colombia, there were such strong earthquake tremors that the buildings there had to be evacuated immediately. Immediately after this devastating earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a high-alert in view of the large movement in the sea.
A tsunami warning was issued for coastal areas of Venezuela, Aruba and Curaçao within 300 kilometers (186 miles) of the epicenter. Apart from this, advisories were also issued for Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands, which were later canceled after intensive monitoring of sea level. Colombian officials also later said there was no tsunami threat on their coasts, but high-alert was maintained along the border with Venezuela. This disaster is the most terrible and powerful seismic event to hit the South American continent in recent years.
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Is the real figure of the devastation yet to be revealed?
The USGS estimates that about 5.2 million people felt “strong” to “violent” shaking. The agency has expressed fear of huge loss of life and property. Viral videos on social media show damage to many buildings, but the actual picture of the devastation is not yet completely clear. Rescue teams continue to work in affected areas, while experts warn that the coming hours could prove crucial. The biggest question is – will this disaster stop here or are the aftershocks presaging another big tragedy?