July 15, 1853 Earthquake: Cumana, Venezuela

A violent earthquake occurred near Cumana, followed by tsunamis. Total death tolls from the event have been reported as 600, 800, 1,000, and as high as 4,000. Montadon (1962) reported more than 1,000 fatalities in the region. Centeno-Grau (1969) said that the earthquake, followed by tsunamis, had coincided with earthquakes occurring in the Antilles.

1853, July 15. Venezuela, Cumana, 800 or 4000 people perished. Intensity III which corresponds to an earthquake which destroyed towns and devastated districts. (reference #1055)

1853, July 15. 12.1 N, 63.6 W, magnitude 6.7 MS, intensity IX. (reference #1209)

1853, July 15. Venezuela. Intensity IX. At 2:00 p.m. A violent earthquake in Cumana which caused considerable destruction in the city. One hundred and thirteen were killed. (reference #364)

1853, July 15 at at 14 h. 14 min. Cumana collapsed in a few minutes more than 1000 dead. (reference #1557)

1853, July 15. Earthquake of the 15th of July of 1853. Account made by an eyewitness: "Cracks opened parallel to the banks of the Manzanares river. The barracks of the infantry, artillery, cavalry, etc., everything fell like in a cavernous collapse, it was impossible to investigate the numbers of soldiers, horses, saddles, and weapons that were buried under the masonry and fell on top of each other. Still, Mr. José Jesús Martínez, Senior Assistant, asserts that the force never had less than 1000 men, that he had been saved because he left the command to communicate the order to march the troops in the direction of Cumanacoa. Mr. Diego Blanco Zerpa saw the sentinel impelled, without a doubt, by the motion of the earth, take two steps forward and kneel, rifle in hand. This sentinel was found dead in the same place where Blanco Zerpa saw him. He was saved because he jumped into the river, amazed to find its level had risen as a result of the earthquake. A masonry quadrangular prism was ripped from its base, rotating west to east, fell to the ground with the base upwards and the apex downwards. This prism has a (foot?) of base and three (feet?) of height".

"The sea withdrew from the bay of Puerto Sucre, leaving dry a quarter mile of the riverbed, and then rose to the height of 5 meters and surged onto the shore with a frightful roar, dragging the ships with smaller draw along its path along with the remains of ships lost in ancient times. The dock/pier was ruined."

"The sharp tip of the peninsula called the Dam at the mouth of the Manzaneres River, planted with coconuts, sank, leaving at water level the leaves. (One can calculate the sinking of this peninsula to have been in the order of 15 meters").

"The victims of this earthquake are more than 1000, as almost everyone who was quartered perished, buried in the rubble of the barracks. Among the civilians were:

At St. Agnes parish: 100 dead.

In the Parish Altagracia: 13 dead.

113 dead.

The injured were numerous".

(above from reference #492)