This is bad. It was not one but a pair of massive earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela in quick succession. Magnitude 7.2 ENE of San Felipe, and then 7.5 SE of Yumare.
The USGS is estimating 10,000-100,000 fatalities, and economic damages totaling 2-20% the GDP of Venezuela, may have just occurred as a result of the twin quakes. These are not real or confirmed numbers yet, only preliminary estimates based on the earthquakes’ size and location, but this very clearly may be an unthinkable catastrophe unfolding right now. We can’t know for sure the full extent of the devastation, however, until more reports come in.
Two powerful earthquakes just occurred within 30 minutes of each other on opposite sides of the planet.
A magnitude 7.5 to the west of Caracas, Venezuela, followed by a magnitude 6.9 off the coast of Japan.