At least 188 people have died and more than 30,000 remain missing after two powerful earthquakes rocked Venezuela just 39 seconds apart.
Rescue teams were combing through rubble in Caracas on Thursday in search of victims amid fears that tens of thousands of people may have been killed in what is Venezuela’s worst earthquake in a century.
The magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160km west of the capital on Wednesday evening, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.G.S).
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake was recorded near the coast of the South American country on October 29, 1900, according to the U.S.G.S. catalog.
Residents described scenes “like a horror movie” as distraught relatives searched the debris of collapsed buildings for their loved ones on Thursday morning. Dazed survivors were filmed being carried out of the rubble, some on stretchers.
The U.S. is deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela at the direction of President Trump, U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio said.
The president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, said that 188 were confirmed dead, 1,520 injured and 200 still trapped – but authorities expected the death toll to rise significantly as bodies were identified.
Speaking on national television, Rodríguez said Venezuela faces “severe disruption” after the two earthquakes struck last night, followed by 138 aftershock.
He said that national unity was a priority as the rescue effort continues, and confirmed the arrival of specialist rescue teams from the U.S., Mexico, Spain, Qatar, and the UN.
He added that measures from acting President Delcy Rodríguez include a request for private companies to provide machinery to remove debris, the creation of a $200m fund for assistance, and special credit lines for affected businesses.
The USGS estimated that the death toll would likely run into the thousands, with a chance it could be well into the tens of thousands.
Meanwhile, families are desperately seeking help for their loved ones who are feared trapped.
“We had to climb over the rubble and everything,” said Maria Alejandra. “The building superintendent with the baby and all the neighbors coming down. But from that building, I only saw that one family got out.”
Astrid Ramirez, a 41-year-old publicist in Caracas, said people were “screaming” and “everyone was running down the stairs”.
Older Venezuelans recalled the 1967 earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 that killed 240 people.
“This earthquake was horrible,” said Maria Romero, an 80-year-old pensioner in southern Caracas, whom police helped out of her home. She said it was “even worse than the one in 1967”.
Coro Martinez, 56, who lives in eastern Caracas, said he heard a “very loud crash” after “things fell in the house, jugs inside the refrigerator”. He added: “I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
The interim president declared a state of emergency after the earthquakes caused building collapses in the capital and forced the closure of the country’s main international airport.
La Guaira state, near Caracas and home to the city’s airport, was the state worst affected by the quake.
Footage taken by witnesses showed scenes of panic as ceilings collapsed in the airport, and rubble from destroyed buildings littered the seafront.
“Dozens of buildings have collapsed, and we are currently carrying out very intense rescue efforts to save as many lives as God allows us to save,” Rodríguez said on state television just before 1am local time (6am BST) on Thursday, soon after the quake hit.
“La Guaira state is a true tragedy, and has become a disaster zone.”
Houses collapsed near the quake’s epicenter in Morón, a small seaside town in the state of Carabobo, where there was no water or electricity. Three children were among at least eight killed in the area, municipal mayor Emily Riera said.
Rodriguez said that rescue crews from other countries would arrive soon, and thanked world leaders, including Donald Trump – who in January ordered the capture of Venezuela’s former president Nicolas Maduro – and Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Trump said the U.S. was preparing to help Venezuela, writing on Truth Social early Thursday: “The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths.
“The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good!!!”
Delcy Rodríguez called for unity in the country, after weeks of anti-government protests over annual inflation of more than 500 per cent have become more frequent since Maduro’s capture.
Other cities and towns close to Caracas affected by the quake, including El Junquito and La Guaira, remained without power on Thursday morning, increasing challenges for rescue workers.
The U.N.’s Venezuela human rights mission urged the government to lift restrictions on social media, saying it was a “matter of life and death”.
Access became available in some areas of the country, where cell services are unreliable.
