CNN Investigation: Collapsed Venezuela Public Housing Towers Showed Improperly Bent Rebar and Deep Rust
CARACAS — An investigative analysis published by CNN on November 8 found that construction flaws may have contributed to the collapse of 15 government-built public housing towers in the coastal town of Caraballeda during the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 this year.
Reviewing images and video from the buildings' construction and from after their collapse, CNN reported that at five housing complexes built under the Presidential Office of Special Plans and Projects (OPPPE), the short rebar ties known as stirrups appeared to have been bent to about 90 degrees, while Venezuela's 2006 building code required 135-degree bends in high-rise buildings across La Guaira. At three of the complexes, images also showed deep-seated rust in metal supports, which experts said could be a sign of poor-quality concrete. Satellite imagery shows that about 63 percent of the high-rise towers built by the special public housing authority in Caraballeda collapsed.
Structural engineer Kit Miyamoto and other experts who reviewed the evidence said the faults could have made the towers more prone to collapsing, while cautioning that a direct cause is difficult to prove after tremors of that strength. Francisco Garcés, president of the government commission set up after the quakes, told CNN that nearly 100 buildings are being analyzed with material samples and measurements. CNN said it had sought comment from the Venezuelan government and La Guaira officials and had not yet heard back.
(Source: CNN)
Source: CNN
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：委内瑞拉拉瓜伊拉州 Caraballeda 的 Los Corales 一带，2026年6月25日地震次日拍摄。CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Los Corales area of Caraballeda, La Guaira state, Venezuela, photographed on June 25, 2026, the day after the earthquakes. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
