The president of the Greek Community of Caracas, Theodoros Marangelis, described the situation in Venezuela following two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale in a live interview with Parapolitika 90.1 and journalist Niki Lyberaki on Thursday afternoon (June 25). He reported that the most severe destruction has been recorded in specific areas of the capital, while also expressing fears that the death toll could rise. “Sadly, the damage is enormous. Right now, where I am in the city, things are calm and there wasn’t major damage in my area, but there has been significant destruction in three or four parts of the city,” he stated.
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Commenting on footage of collapsed buildings being broadcast by international media, he confirmed the scale of the destruction, saying: “Yes, sadly yes — and we are bracing for the death toll to climb.”
Marangelis also shared his personal experience of the moment the earthquakes struck, explaining that he was at home on the 14th floor of an apartment building in Caracas. “We were at home watching television when the shaking suddenly started. You see, we live in a tall apartment block, on the 14th floor. And the higher up you are, the more the building sways. Things fell and so on. We were terrified, but it passed,” he recounted.
Regarding the Greek presence in the country, he noted that the Greek Community he represents is based in Caracas, while approximately 2,500 Greeks live throughout Venezuela in total. When asked about the authorities’ preparedness to handle such a large-scale natural disaster, he stressed that the country does not have the same experience as other earthquake-prone regions. “There are real needs here, because earthquakes of this magnitude don’t happen often. The last major earthquake was in 1967. And before that, there was a big earthquake in Caracas sometime in the 1800s. Earthquakes this large don’t happen often in Caracas, and there isn’t the same culture of preparedness as you’d find in Greece or Japan,” he said.
Marangelis on Parapolitika 90.1 on the Venezuela earthquakes: “There are small aftershocks, around magnitude 4”
He did clarify, however, that newer buildings have been constructed to seismic safety standards, which helped limit damage in many cases. “In the last 40 years or so, buildings here have been constructed with anti-seismic measures. For example, the building I live in held up, as did many other apartment blocks. It was the older buildings that suffered,” he emphasized.
On the ongoing aftershock activity, he reported that smaller tremors continue to be felt, which he estimated at around magnitude 4 on the Richter scale. “There are small aftershocks — I estimate them at around 4 on the Richter scale — and we expect them to continue over the coming days,” he said.
