By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): A string of powerful earthquakes rattled different parts of the world within the span of a single day, but it is the South American nation of Venezuela that has been left reeling from a devastating disaster.
In less than 24 hours, significant earthquakes were recorded in several countries, including Japan, the United States, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Venezuela. By far the most destructive struck northern Venezuela on Wednesday, when two powerful back-to-back quakes hit the region within seconds of each other.
According to the United States Geological Survey, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck first, followed just 39 seconds later by an even stronger magnitude 7.5 quake. Both were shallow and close to populated areas, a combination that made them especially dangerous. It was the largest seismic event to hit Venezuela in more than a century.
The human toll has been heavy. At least 164 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds more injured, with officials warning that the numbers are likely to rise as rescuers continue to search collapsed buildings. The coastal state of La Guaira was among the hardest hit and has been declared a disaster zone. Dozens of buildings collapsed, power and phone service was knocked out in places, and many residents have been left sleeping in the streets. A state of emergency has been declared.
While the timing of so many earthquakes in one day has caught attention, seismologists have been quick to point out that these events are not part of one connected global phenomenon. The quakes occurred along different fault systems in different parts of the world, and earthquakes of this size happen with some regularity. The Venezuela disaster, for example, is tied to the tectonic setting of the Caribbean and northern South America, separate from the activity along the Pacific Ring of Fire.
For Belize, there is reassurance to be had. The country was not affected by any of the quakes, and faced no threat from them. Brief tsunami advisories that followed the Venezuela earthquakes were issued for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, not for Belize or Central America, and were later canceled.
As Venezuela mourns and begins the difficult task of recovery, the thoughts of many across the region, including here in Belize, will be with those affected by this tragedy.
The post Powerful earthquakes rock the globe as Venezuela reels from disaster appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): A string of powerful earthquakes rattled different parts of the world within the span of a single day, but it is the South American nation of Venezuela that has been left reeling from a devastating disaster. In less than 24 hours, significant earthquakes were recorded in several countries, including
The post Powerful earthquakes rock the globe as Venezuela reels from disaster appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
