LA GUAIRA, Venezuela (AP) 鈥� Venezuelans searched for survivors beneath collapsed buildings Thursday and rescue teams raced to northern areas rocked by a pair of that officials say killed at least 164 people. Many more were feared dead.
The 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that struck Wednesday evening were among the strongest in in more than a century and were felt throughout the region. Nearly 1,000 people were injured and thousands were reported missing across the country. The coastal region of La Guaira, which is north of the capital, Caracas, experienced some of the heaviest damage and casualties, officials said.
Buildings were evacuated as far away as Brazil鈥檚 Amazon, about 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) from Caracas, where the country鈥檚 main airport was damaged and closed.
In cities across northern Venezuela, panicked residents poured into the streets and many walked among the debris searching for the missing. Television broadcasts showed rescue workers using power tools to get through piles of rubble.
In La Guaira, retired schoolteacher Juan Alberto Menda帽o climbed through wreckage and past a dead body when he spotted a woman who was trapped and signaling with her hand for help.
鈥淕od, let them rescue her as quickly as possible,鈥� said Menda帽o. 鈥淲hen we heard the scream, there was nothing we could do.鈥�
At another damaged apartment complex, residents shouted the names of missing people: 鈥淢irna! Marquitos!鈥�
Offers of help poured in from around the world, including from the United States, which seized Venezuela’s then-president Nicolas Maduro at the beginning of the year in a surprise military operation.
The natural disaster poses a major challenge for acting President Delcy 搁辞诲谤铆驳耻别锄, the former vice president who took office in January after Maduro’s capture. Venezuela has been facing for more than a decade, and many people reject the legitimacy of .
Rescue teams head to heavily damaged coastal region
, who gave the latest death toll early Thursday, said authorities were shifting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira, which she described as a 鈥渄isaster zone.鈥�
鈥淒ozens of buildings have collapsed there … and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,鈥� 搁辞诲谤铆驳耻别锄 said. Footage on state TV showed three children, covered in dust but alive, pulled from the rubble in La Guaira.
搁辞诲谤铆驳耻别锄 appealed to businesses to make heavy construction equipment available for rescue operations, adding that search and rescue teams certified by the United Nations were on their way to help.
While sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates makes strong earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the first earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.2, hit west of Moron on the Caribbean coast, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) west of Caracas. It had a depth of 22 kilometers (about 14 miles). Just a minute later, USGS reported a second 7.5 magnitude earthquake, with a depth of 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) and an epicenter 16 kilometers (10 miles) southwest of Moron.
Officials urged people to remain outside as aftershocks could cause further damage.
Venezuela residents reeling from two strong quakes
During the quakes, people ran from swaying buildings. Many were stunned Thursday morning as they saw buildings reduced to skeletons, furniture hanging out of windows and helicopters circling overhead.
In La Guaira, Cristian Carre帽o stared at his charred apartment building tilting precariously to one side.
鈥淚 lost everything,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are people still inside, I imagine, that couldn鈥檛 get out. It鈥檚 incredibly devastating.鈥�
Dayana Delgado, mother of three children, said she was desperate because her 8-year-old son was missing.
鈥淚 want to know where my child is, if he鈥檚 trapped or in a shelter,鈥� she said.
Delgado asked where the heavy machinery was that government officials had promised, pointing out that neighbors were the ones digging through the rubble.
Authorities warned people against returning to homes with structural damage. In downtown Caracas, hundreds spent the night huddled in parks, parking lots and other open spaces.
鈥淲e were afraid the buildings would collapse on us,鈥� said Mar铆a Cristina D铆az, a 41-year-old janitor. 鈥淢y mother, my daughter and I were cold. We didn鈥檛 sleep a wink.鈥�
鈥淚t was awful. We cried, we screamed. Thankfully, we鈥檙e alive,鈥� she added.
Parts of the capital lost power and cellphone service, 搁辞诲谤铆驳耻别锄 said. Subway services were suspended and natural gas was shut off, she said. Classes will also be canceled for several days, and the Ministry of Education said some school buildings would be used as shelters and donation centers.
Families began posting missing-person flyers with photos of loved ones, while others shared handwritten lists of names as they searched for those still unaccounted for. Venezuelans living abroad struggled to make contact with relatives.
The U.N. human rights mission in Venezuela called on the government to lift local restrictions on social media so people can get more timely access to potentially life-saving information. In August 2024, Maduro ordered X blocked in an attempt to suppress the exchange of information among those who rejected his claim of victory in the .
Several governments offered assistance
搁辞诲谤铆驳耻别锄 declared a state of emergency in an address to the nation late Wednesday. She said the government was creating a $200 million reconstruction fund for hospitals and homes damaged by the earthquakes, and had instructed the economy and finance ministers to oversee the effort.
Countries from across the world from Qatar to Mexico began to send aid to Venezuela. 搁辞诲谤铆驳耻别锄 expressed thanks for the messages of support and offers for help.
Secretary of State , who had spoken to 搁辞诲谤铆驳耻别锄 following the quake, said the United States is 鈥渋mmediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela.鈥�
鈥淲e will have a whole government response,鈥� Rubio said Thursday in Bahrain, noting the were facing logistical obstacles with Caracas鈥� airport collapsed. 鈥淚t will be big. It will be fast. It will be effective.鈥�
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Garcia Cano reported from Bogota, Colombia and Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Associated Press writers Anna-Catherine Brigida in Mexico City, Danica Coto and San Juan, Clara Preve in Buenos Aires; Astrid Suarez in Bogota, Colombia; Cristina Fuentes in Madrid; and Maria Teresa Hernandez in Beijing and Edith Lederer in the United Nations contributed to this report.
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