Back-To-Back Venezuela Earthquakes Kill At Least 188, Injure More Than 1,500

Back-to-back earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening and killed at least 188 people, with more than 1,500 injured, as Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s national assembly, said the toll was expected to rise.

“Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening”

ABC News

The quakes hit the port city of La Guaira and the capital Caracas, where residents described buildings collapsing and homes losing power as search and rescue efforts stretched through Thursday.

ABC News

CNN reported that the disaster left many displaced residents with nowhere to go after homes were flattened in La Guaira, Caracas and surrounding areas, while the National Assembly president said at least 188 people had died.

The New York Times reported that more than 200 people were reported trapped in the rubble and 157 were missing as of Thursday afternoon, as rescuers dug through collapsed residential towers in Caracas and La Guaira.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency, and NBC News said she announced the airport in Caracas was closed, trains were suspended and school was canceled for several days.

The U.S. response was framed through Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told reporters the U.S. would provide a response that would be "big, it’ll be fast, and it’ll be effective."

CBS News

ABC News reported that the State Department said it would mobilize $150 million in assistance for Venezuela and stand up a task force to coordinate distribution, while the Urban Search and Rescue teams based out of Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles County, California, confirmed they were mobilizing units.

In La Guaira, CBS News quoted Rodríguez saying, "Dozens of buildings have collapsed and we are engaged in the arduous task of rescuing the lives that God allows us to save."

With the death toll already at least 188 and injuries above 1,500, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates cited by CBS News suggested the quakes could have killed thousands, including a 42% chance of at least 10,000 fatalities.

“• Deadly quakes: At least 188 people have died and more than 1,500 are injured after a devastating pair of earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday, according to the country’s National Assembly president”

CNN

CNN reported that the US deployed elite rescue teams as Venezuela received aid from the UN, Latin American neighbors and the Vatican, while the UN said it was coordinating the deployment of urban search-and-rescue teams to Venezuela.

In La Guaira, Folha de S.Paulo said the state was declared a disaster zone and that more than a hundred buildings collapsed, while it described residents spending the night in the streets with flashlights fearing aftershocks.

The New York Times added that the government said the quake had damaged at least 250 buildings, and it described fears that crowded shantytowns in the affected area, where precarious homes are built on hillsides, might also have been heavily damaged.