Fantastic accompanies anguish and challenges in post-earthquake Venezuela A study delivered by a Japanese government agency to Venezuela 21 years ago recommended a series of measures to reduce the impacts of earthquakes in the Caracas region. The report provided for the reinforcement of the structures of around 180,000 buildings, the installation of early warning systems and the resettlement of residents from risk areas. ? Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp ?? Context: The document had repercussions in the local press after the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that hit northern Venezuela on June 24. Until Monday (6), data from the Venezuelan government showed that the tremors left 3,500 dead, 16,000 injured and caused the collapse of 190 buildings. Rescue teams are still searching for hundreds of missing people. The report was prepared by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), at the request of the Venezuelan government itself. Work began in 2002, and the study was officially delivered in 2005. g1 had access to the document. The Japanese plan assessed the seismic risks of the Caracas metropolitan region and proposed 20 projects to reduce damage caused by earthquakes and landslides. Seven of them were considered priorities. ? Among the main recommendations were: structurally strengthening around 180 thousand buildings considered vulnerable; strengthen bridges; build dams to contain mud and rock flows; install alert systems for the population; create a command center for emergencies; resettle communities located in high-risk areas. According to the study, implementing the measures would cost around US$2.8 billion over 16 years. Of this total, approximately US$2.6 billion would be allocated to reinforcing buildings. It is unclear how many of Japan's proposed measures were actually implemented by Venezuela. Experts interviewed by the DW agency, however, say that the conditions of the country's buildings contributed to the high number of buildings destroyed in the June earthquakes. According to them, many projects were built quickly during the expansion of housing programs in recent decades, with limited oversight and little transparency. Analysts also point out that years of neglect in complying with construction standards and the economic crisis have reduced the country's technical capacity. Impact estimates Rescue teams work at the site of a building complex that collapsed after the June 24 earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo The report also simulated the effects that different earthquakes could have on Caracas. In a scenario similar to the 1967 earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.6, the projection was that around 10,000 buildings would be seriously damaged, in addition to 602 deaths and more than 4,300 injured. In a simulation based on the 1812 earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.1, the estimate rose to more than 32,000 seriously damaged buildings, 2,528 deaths and 17,600 injuries. Japanese technicians concluded that the adoption of the structural reinforcement program would significantly reduce these impacts. In the scenario based on a tremor similar to that of 1812, for example, the number of seriously damaged buildings would fall from 32,000 to 5,260. The estimated number of deaths would be reduced by almost 90%, from 2,528 to 274. Work on buildings A truck with Venezuelan flags passes by a building collapsed after two earthquakes, in Los Corales, in the state of La Guaira, about 40 km northeast of Caracas, on June 27, 2026. FEDERICO PARRA/AFP The study details which engineering techniques could be used to increase the resistance of buildings. For reinforced concrete buildings, recommendations include installing load-bearing walls, reinforcing columns and beams with steel sheets, improving building foundations, and adopting base isolation systems to reduce the effects of tremors. In areas of informal occupation, known as "barrios", the plan suggests lower-cost measures, such as the construction of foundation beams to increase the stability of houses on slopes, the reinforcement of walls and containment works to prevent landslides. Before any intervention, technicians advocated carrying out inspections and assessments to identify which buildings would need reinforcement and what would be the most appropriate solution in each case. The document also indicates that all work suggestions would follow Venezuela's own legislation, which was implemented in 2001. VIDEOS: most watched on g1