Twin Earthquakes Strike Venezuela, Killing At Least 188 As Rescuers Search La Guaira And Caracas

A pair of powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday, killing at least 188 people and injuring more than 1,500 as rescue efforts stretched into Thursday night.

“Breaking News Click to pause breaking news tickerpause-simpleClose Breaking News Tickerclose-prominent At least 188 killed and 1,500 injured after powerful quakes rock VenezuelaVenezuela declares state of emergency over quakesUSGS says mass casualties likely and damage extensive Click to pause breaking news tickerpause-simpleClose Breaking News Tickerclose-prominent Toggle Play Venezuela struggles to respond to devastating twin earthquakes Reporting from Caracas for Al Jazeera, Noris Soto says authorities appear to lack a clear response plan in the aftermath of two powerful earthquakes”

Al Jazeera

CNN said the second quake was “Venezuela’s most powerful in more than a century,” and described flattened homes in the port city of La Guaira, the capital Caracas and surrounding areas.

Al Jazeera

The BBC reported that the quakes, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, hit a minute apart and that rescuers were searching the rubble in Caracas and the state of La Guaira, where the UN said more than 100 buildings had collapsed.

In Caracas, the BBC quoted a man describing the shaking as “the world was moving for a long time,” while CNN described a resident, Amparo Díaz, feeling the tremor “like a roar.”

The US pledged $150 million in aid to Venezuela, and CNN reported that the State Department said the US will provide $150 million in aid while the US Defense Department will provide aircraft to assess damage, find injured victims and deliver life-saving assistance.

CNN also said Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that the US was deploying search and rescue teams from Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles, while the BBC reported that the satellite internet provider Starlink would offer free service for the next month.

Anadolu Ajansı

On the ground, the BBC quoted Bryan Stern, founder of Grey Bull Rescue based in Florida, saying, “Lots of people are hurt and in need, and they literally can't even ask for help,” and described communications as one of the biggest challenges.

Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, told the Los Angeles Times, “We are in a race against time to rescue” people trapped in the rubble, as the airport serving Caracas shut down after it was heavily damaged.

As the death toll rose to 188 and more than 1,500 people were injured, the BBC said the US Geological Survey warned that “thousands of people could have been killed in total,” while the Guardian reported that a state of emergency was declared by Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez.

“The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting”

AP News

The Guardian said the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) reported that more than 100 buildings collapsed in La Guaira, and that the worst affected regions also included Caracas, Miranda, Aragua, Carabobo and Falcón.

NPR quoted US Geological Survey geophysicist William Barnhart saying, “A magnitude 7.2 earthquake alone in this region would be devastating,” and described how the second quake’s timing made the disaster uniquely catastrophic.

Looking ahead, the BBC reported that NRC’s Stine Paus said, “There are huge needs for international support,” and added that several UN agencies and the NRC were “doing assessments and waiting for more support to come in.”