Satellite images are gradually revealing the destruction caused by the earthquakes that shook Venezuela on Wednesday. For now, although there could be many more. The map below points out a dozen spots where satellite photographs show demolished buildings. It is a stream that follows the San Sebastián fault, parallel to the coastline, from Catia la Mar to Caraballeda. The two cities seem to be the most affected places right now.
On Friday, Vantor satellite images already showed the destruction in Catia la Mar and Maiquetía. One of the images showed half a dozen fallen buildings on Puerto Viejo beach.
Another shot in Playa Grande captured six apartment towers that were also demolished.
The Simón Bolívar International Airport of Maiquetía, half an hour from the city of Caracas, also suffered damage. Continuing to the east, the church of San Sebastián de Maiquetía lost its façade.
This Saturday, new images from the Planet company of the city of Macuto show more than a dozen buildings completely destroyed, again, following the coastline.
Continuing east, a second batch of Vantar images focused on the city of Caraballeda and its marinas. There, along Avenida José María España.
The death toll
Since the earthquake, websites such as “Venezuela is looking for you” allow people to be reported missing to help in their search. They are not complete or perfect records – there are duplicates and the people found are not always notified – but they are useful to know the most affected areas and possibly with the most victims.
The following graph shows the parishes with the most reported missing persons. These data indicate two areas: the parishes of Catia la Mar (661,000 inhabitants) and Caraballeda (48,000).
The latest official information speaks of 1,430 deaths. But the final figure may be much higher. The USGS offers estimates that combine the intensity of the earthquake with the population density in the affected areas: according to its calculation, it is almost certain that there are more than 1,000 deaths (92% probable), it is likely that more than 10,000 deaths will be exceeded (59%) and figures above 100,000 are not ruled out.
The maps of the double earthquake
The first earthquake, of magnitude 7.2, had its epicenter between the cities of Yumare and Montalbán. It was felt further west of La Guaira and Caracas, according to data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
But the most devastating tremor arrived 39 seconds later, with a nearby epicenter and a higher magnitude: 7.5 on the scale. The figure may seem similar, but it is not: the second earthquake released almost three times more energy than the first. According to the USGS, its area of maximum seismic intensity followed the coastline, affecting the towns of Puerto Cabello, La Guaira or Caraballeda.
This Wednesday’s earthquakes occurred at shallow depths, increasing the destruction on the surface. “Not only has the energy been high, but they have also been very superficial, especially the second, which is devastating,” Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Pascua, director of the geological risks department of the Geological and Mining Institute (IGME-CSIC), explained to EL PAÍS. The following graph shows the relationship between magnitude, depth and death toll for large historical earthquakes. The deadliest earthquakes combine magnitude and relative superficiality.
The largest earthquake of the century in the region
Today’s earthquake is the worst recorded in more than 100 years in the seismic region north of Venezuela. To overcome its magnitude of 7.5, we must go back to the 1900 earthquake, of magnitude 7.7, which hit the central coast—in Macuto, next to Caracas—and left about 25 dead. In 2018 there was a 7.3 earthquake, almost as powerful, but it originated almost 150 kilometers deep: too deep to cause havoc, it barely killed five people.
