Rescue teams continued intensive search and rescue operations across Venezuela on Thursday after two powerful earthquakes struck the country, killing at least 164 people, injuring nearly 1,000, and trapping many beneath collapsed buildings.
The twin earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, struck within a minute of each other on Wednesday evening, making them among the strongest earthquakes to hit Venezuela in more than a century.
According to Acting President Delcy RodrÃguez, rescue teams from across the country have been deployed to the worst-hit coastal state of La Guaira, which has been declared a disaster zone due to extensive structural damage and multiple building collapses.
Television footage showed emergency responders using heavy equipment and power tools to search through debris, while three children were successfully rescued alive from the rubble in La Guaira.
The earthquakes caused widespread panic in the capital Caracas, where residents rushed out of swaying buildings and spent the night in parks, parking lots, and other open spaces due to fears of aftershocks. Authorities have urged people not to return to buildings showing signs of structural damage.
The country’s main gateway, Simón BolÃvar International Airport, suffered damage and has been temporarily closed. Power outages, disruptions to mobile communication, suspension of metro services, and shutdown of natural gas supplies were also reported in several parts of Caracas.
The Ministry of Education announced that schools will remain closed for several days, with several educational institutions being converted into temporary shelters and relief distribution centres.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the first earthquake, measuring 7.2 magnitude, struck near Morón on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast at a depth of 22 kilometres. A second, stronger 7.5-magnitude quake followed just one minute later at a depth of 10 kilometres, further intensifying the devastation.
Authorities have appealed to private companies to provide heavy construction equipment for rescue operations, while United Nations-certified search and rescue teams are expected to join relief efforts.
Rescue operations remain underway as officials fear the death toll could rise with many people still believed to be trapped beneath collapsed structures.
