Venezuelan rescuers searched collapsed buildings in La Guaira and Caracas on Thursday after two earthquakes killed at least 164 people and injured 971, acting president Delcy Rodríguez said.

The quakes struck less than a minute apart on Wednesday evening. The US Geological Survey put them at magnitude 7.2 and 7.5.

The second was the strongest recorded in Venezuela since 1900, according to the USGS.

It said the death toll risked rising into the thousands as teams reached damaged districts and officials assessed reports of missing people.

Rodríguez declared a state of emergency and said La Guaira, the coastal state north of Caracas, was the worst-hit area. “Dozens of buildings have collapsed there … and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,” she said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said more than 100 buildings had collapsed in La Guaira. It said international urban search and rescue teams would focus on La Guaira and Caracas, while local civil protection teams covered other areas.

The earthquakes hit at about 18:00 local time. The USGS said the first struck west of Morón on the Caribbean coast at a depth of 22km. The second struck about 16km south-west of Morón at a depth of 10km.

Officials urged people to stay outside because aftershocks risked bringing down damaged buildings. In Caracas, families spent the night in parks, car parks and streets.

Power and mobile phone services failed in parts of the capital, Rodríguez said. Subway services stopped. Natural gas supplies were cut. Classes were cancelled, and education officials said some schools would serve as shelters and donation centres.

The main airport serving Caracas sustained damage. Reuters reported that one runway was cracked. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had spoken with Rodríguez and that Washington was sending search and rescue teams. “That’s their most immediate need right now is search and rescue,” he told reporters in Bahrain. He said the US response would be “big”, “fast” and “effective”.

Switzerland said it would deploy 80 rescuers, eight rescue dogs and 18 tonnes of equipment. The Netherlands announced a €2m package to send a rescue team. Germany, Spain, France, China and India also offered help. Vatican media reported that Pope Leo XIV sent €100,000 for relief through the Vatican charity office.

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said the organisation was coordinating international rescue teams. “The coming days will require a massive collective effort to support the government-led response and help communities,” he said. He said nearly 8 million people in Venezuela needed humanitarian support before the earthquakes.

The USGS described the tremors as a doublet, in which two earthquakes of similar strength strike close together in time and location. The agency said the sequence suggested a complex rupture process, with one quake helping trigger another nearby.

Venezuela sits where the Caribbean and South American plates meet. Strong earthquakes are less common there than in other parts of Latin America, but the shallow depth of Wednesday’s quakes increased the risk of damage.

Reuters reported that preliminary checks found Venezuela’s oil and gas infrastructure mostly intact, including the El Palito refinery in Carabobo state. The Morón Petrochemical Complex began restarting after a preventive shutdown, while assessments continued.

Rodríguez said the government would create a $200m reconstruction fund for hospitals and homes. She asked businesses to supply heavy construction equipment for debris removal and rescue work.

The disaster has placed pressure on Rodríguez’s interim government, which took power after US forces seized former president Nicolás Maduro in January. Maduro, held in New York on drug-trafficking charges, called for “maximum solidarity” in a message posted on X.

HT