Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela’s northern coast on Wednesday, killing more than 180 people, injuring about 1,500 and leaving thousands missing. A magnitude 7.2 quake occurred first, followed by a magnitude 7.5 quake 39 seconds later, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The events are an example of a doublet, defined as two similarly sized quakes that occur close together in time and place, the USGS said. The quakes took place along the Bocono fault, which runs about 300 miles (500 kilometers) through the Venezuelan Andes. A similar doublet of magnitudes 6.2 and 6.3 struck west of Caracas in September 2025, killing at least one person and injuring more than 100, mainly in Zulia and Lara states.

The Caribbean plate moves eastward relative to the South American plate at roughly 0.79 inches (2 centimeters) per year, producing a shallow strike‑slip fault. The movement is not inherently more dangerous, USGS scientist Christine Goulet noted, though the length of the rupture influences damage.

In the past century, only seven magnitude 6 or higher earthquakes have occurred near the recent epicenters, including the 2025 doublet and events in 2009, 1989 and 1975. The most destructive historic quake in the area was a magnitude 6.6 event in July 1967 that caused hundreds of deaths. A 1812 quake on the Bocono fault system killed an estimated 30,000 people.

Scientists cannot predict earthquakes, but aftershocks are expected. USGS estimates a 99% chance of at least one magnitude 4 aftershock in the next week and a 24% chance of a magnitude 6 aftershock. Venezuela does not have an early earthquake warning system, which the agency said limited evacuation time.