28/06/2026 04:08 - Internacionales
The earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 that struck Venezuela on June 24, 2026 have left a devastating toll: more than 1,430 dead, 3,238 injured, and nearly 70,000 missing according to official figures. La Guaira state (located just 30 km from Caracas, Venezuela's capital) was the most affected, with over 100 buildings collapsed. This tragedy joins the long list of seismic catastrophes that have marked human history.
Below, a journey through the most devastating seismic catastrophes recorded by science and history:
Estimated Magnitude: 8.0
Fatalities: 830,000 people
Date: January 23, 1556
Damage: Total destruction of a 840 km region
During the Ming Dynasty, most of the population lived in yaodongs, artificial caves dug into loess plateaus (wind-blown silt deposits common in northern China). The earthquake caused the massive collapse of these homes and gigantic landslides, burying 60% of the regional population.
Magnitude: 7.5 - 7.8
Fatalities: 242,769 (official) - over 650,000 (estimates)
Date: July 28, 1976
Damage: Collapse of 85% of buildings
In just 10 seconds, high-voltage power lines, railway tracks, industries, and apartment complexes collapsed. The earthquake occurred at shallow depth (about 11 km), maximizing the impact of seismic waves on the surface. Tangshan was a major industrial city known as the "coal capital" of China.
Magnitude: 9.1 - 9.3
Fatalities: 227,898 (including missing)
Date: December 26, 2004
Damage: Over USD 10 billion - 1.7 million displaced
The third-largest earthquake ever recorded ruptured the seabed off Sumatra, generating a tsunami with waves up to 30 meters (100 feet) high that struck the coasts of 14 countries across Asia and Africa. This catastrophe marked a before and after in international cooperation and led to the creation of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System.
Magnitude: 7.0
Fatalities: 160,000 - 222,000 dead
Damage: USD 8 billion - 100,000 homes destroyed
The earthquake struck just 25 km from Haiti's capital, demonstrating that building vulnerability is as dangerous as earthquake magnitude. Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, had no seismic building codes.
Magnitude: 9.5
Fatalities: 1,655 dead
Damage: USD 550 million (at the time)
The highest magnitude earthquake in recorded history. The low death toll was due to low population density in the affected area and Chile's seismic preparedness - the country sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and has strict building codes.
| Location | Year | Magnitude | Fatalities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanto, Japan | 1923 | 7.8 | 143,000 |
| Áncash, Peru | 1970 | 7.9 | 66,000 |
| Messina, Italy | 1908 | 7.2 | 70,000 - 100,000 |
| Sichuan, China | 2008 | 8.0 | 87,000 |
| Ashgabat, Turkmenistan | 1948 | 7.3 | 100,000+ |
| Kashmir, Pakistan | 2005 | 7.6 | 86,000+ |
| Sendai, Japan (Tōhoku) | 2011 | 9.0 | 15,894 + nuclear crisis |
| Kahramanmaraş, Turkey-Syria | 2023 | 7.8 | 59,556 |
In response to Venezuela's catastrophe, more than 1,600 international rescuers from at least 17 countries have joined search and rescue operations. Argentina sent 26 military personnel with canine units and medical teams, deployed in Caraballeda, La Guaira state.
Among the rescued miracles, an 18-day-old baby named Juan David and his mother Dayana Patiño were found alive after 32 hours under the rubble in Playa Grande, La Guaira.
Pope Leo XIV donated 100,000 euros for the victims, while the United States reactivated Caracas airport and temporarily lifted sanctions to facilitate humanitarian aid.
Magnitude doesn't always determine lethality. Factors such as epicenter depth, population density, building quality, time of day, and seismic preparedness are decisive. Chile, with strict seismic building codes, had only 1,655 deaths in the most powerful earthquake in history (9.5), while Haiti suffered over 200,000 victims with a magnitude 7.0 earthquake. The Pacific Ring of Fire - a 40,000 km horseshoe-shaped zone of volcanic and seismic activity - accounts for about 90% of the world's earthquakes.
Sources: El Confidencial | La Voz
Alfredo S. Quiroga
