No Korean casualties reported amid magnitude 7.2, 7.5 earthquakes in Venezuela

A series of earthquakes measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela on Wednesday local time, with no casualties reported among Korean nationals living in the country.

According to the Venezuelan government, the death toll had reached 188 and the number of injured stood at 1,520 as of Thursday afternoon. The figures are expected to rise as rescue operations to free those trapped under rubble get fully underway.

No Korean nationals were among the casualties. The South Korean Embassy in Venezuela and the local Korean community association said they had confirmed virtually no damage to Korean residents from the earthquakes.

The embassy and the community association attributed the absence of Korean casualties to the solid ground underlying most areas where Koreans live. The roughly 125 Korean nationals in Venezuela reside mainly in the Baruta district of the capital, Caracas. One Korean resident told Yonhap News Agency that the southern part of Caracas sits on firm ground and that many apartment buildings there are solidly constructed, which appeared to have spared the area from significant damage.

La Guaira state, which bore the brunt of the earthquakes, suffered greater damage because most of its buildings lack seismic reinforcement. Within Caracas, damage was concentrated in the northern Altamira district, an area known for relatively weak ground due to its proximity to mountains. Altamira was also among the hardest-hit areas during a 1997 earthquake that killed nearly 200 people. Korean residents living near Altamira and the San Bernardino area in western Caracas reported damage such as cracks in apartment walls.

The Korean Embassy and the community association said they had set up three emergency evacuation sites in Caracas and were on standby in case of aftershocks or other contingencies. The embassy also delivered emergency medicine and relief supplies to Korean nationals gathered at one of the sites.

In an emergency notice, the embassy urged residents to cut off gas and electricity, protect their heads and other vital body parts with their belongings when moving outside, and stay away from aging buildings while watching out for falling glass, signage and walls.

Lee Han-sang, South Korea's chargé d'affaires in Venezuela, said the embassy had activated an emergency response team and was monitoring the situation closely, checking in every hour.