In the affluent neighborhoods of Los Palos Grandes and Altamira, located at the foot of Mount Ávila (a majestic mountain that separates Caracas from the Caribbean Sea), at least three residential buildings collapsed. These areas are home to high-income residents, foreign embassies, and upscale restaurants.

José Morillo, 61, rode through the city on his motorcycle searching for news of his trapped family: "My brother, my son, and nephews are inside," he said before rescuers pulled a relative alive from the rubble.

Jessica Galvis, a 33-year-old critical care physician, waited in front of a collapsed six-story building where she believed her friend was buried: "There's so much debris," she described, visibly shaken.

The situation is even more dire in coastal areas. Catia La Mar, a coastal town west of La Guaira (the state bordering Caracas to the north), had already been attacked in January 2026 with US air-to-surface missiles during a failed capture operation against President Nicolás Maduro. Now, the same damaged buildings suffered the seismic onslaught.

José Luis, a physical education teacher, lost his home: "The walls crumbled. Water comes through the roof. The earthquake lasted a long time and destroyed everything." Like many, he fears re-entering his building: "If another earthquake like this comes, this building will collapse. That's what we all fear."

The La Guaira International Airport remains closed due to severe structural damage, complicating international humanitarian response.

The tragedy comes at a particularly sensitive time. In January 2026, the United States launched a military operation to capture Maduro, attacking defense installations and radar sites along the Venezuelan coast. Donald Trump posted on social media: "There will be a devastating number of deaths. We will be there for our new and great friends."

The United States, Spain (with 54 rescuers), El Salvador (300 rescuers), Argentina, Brazil, Germany, China, Cuba, Mexico, and Iran have all offered humanitarian assistance. Pope Leo XIV sent a donation of 100,000 euros.

Isra Colmenares, 58, described the moment of the second earthquake: "It was a truly horrible experience... The first time in my life I've experienced something like this: it was so, so powerful."

Sebastian Rodríguez, 18, had to carry his mother out of their home: "I felt the house moving in a different rhythm than the earth. She was paralyzed by fear."

The government declared a state of emergency. About 30 aftershocks were recorded and the tsunami alert was canceled. Geologist Eduardo Malagnino estimated the energy released was equivalent to 260 nuclear bombs like the one dropped on Hiroshima.