Rescue teams mobilized Thursday to the regions most devastated by two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela, leaving at least 188 people dead, nearly 1,000 injured, and many others trapped beneath debris.
A live feed from Caracas showed the aftermath of the back‑to‑back 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes, among the strongest the country has experienced in more than a hundred years.
The tremors, which hit Wednesday evening, were felt across the region. Venezuela’s main airport sustained damage and was forced to close, while buildings as far away as Brazil’s Amazon region—about 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) from Caracas—were evacuated.
Television images on Thursday showed rescue crews using power tools to dig through mountains of rubble where buildings once stood. Residents fled into the streets in panic, and many later combed through debris searching for missing loved ones near collapsed structures and downed power lines.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, announcing the latest death toll early Thursday, said authorities were redeploying rescue units from across the country to La Guaira, a coastal area north of Caracas. She noted that teams were racing to take advantage of daylight to reach people still believed to be trapped.
State TV broadcast footage of three children, dusty but alive, being pulled from the ruins in La Guaira. Rodríguez described the state as a “disaster zone” and one of the hardest hit areas, with a significant number of collapsed buildings.
“Dozens of structures have fallen there, and we are carrying out intensive rescue efforts to save lives,” she said.
Videos circulating online showed dozens of injured people receiving treatment outside a hospital in La Guaira, some lying on the ground and others on beds moved outdoors.
Although Venezuela is located near several fault lines, its position between the South American and Caribbean plates means major earthquakes are relatively rare compared to other parts of Latin America.
Rodríguez urged private companies to provide heavy machinery to support rescue operations and noted that United Nations–certified search and rescue teams were en route to the country.
