Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela's northern coast 39 seconds apart, flattening buildings and overwhelming rescue efforts. The unusual sequence has deepened scientific uncertainty over whether it was a triggered doublet or a single cascading rupture.

Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela's northern coast 39 seconds apart, flattening buildings and overwhelming rescue efforts. The unusual sequence has deepened scientific uncertainty over whether it was a triggered doublet or a single cascading rupture.

Venezuela on Wednesday experienced something seismologists rarely observe: two massive earthquakes separated by just 39 seconds. An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 took place in northern Venezuela,...