At least 164 people have been killed and 971 injured after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela, triggering widespread destruction and prompting a growing international response, according to the country’s interim government.
The death toll has risen sharply from earlier reports, and the number of casualties could continue to climb as rescue crews search through collapsed structures.
The back-to-back earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck near Venezuela’s northern coast and are among the strongest seismic events to hit the country in more than a century.
“Dozens of buildings have collapsed there … and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,” acting president Delcy Rodríguez said, The Guardian reported.
The hardest-hit area is the coastal state of La Guaira, located north of the capital, Caracas. Authorities have begun shifting rescue personnel and emergency resources from other regions to support operations there.
State Of Emergency Declared
Rodríguez declared a state of emergency following the disaster as emergency crews continued searching for survivors trapped beneath rubble.
The earthquakes caused significant damage in Caracas and surrounding areas, flattening buildings and disrupting infrastructure. Officials have not released a final estimate of the number of people missing.
The United States Geological Survey issued consecutive red alerts through its PAGER earthquake impact system, indicating the potential for severe casualties and economic losses.
According to projections cited by officials, there is a 41% probability that fatalities could exceed 10,000 and a 17% chance that deaths could surpass 100,000. The agency also estimated the disaster could reduce Venezuela’s gross domestic product by as much as 7%.
Venezuela sits in a seismically active region where the Caribbean Plate meets the South American Plate, making the country vulnerable to powerful earthquakes.
United States Announces Major Assistance Effort
President Donald Trump pledged U.S. support for the recovery effort, saying federal agencies were preparing to respond quickly.
“The U.S. stands ready, willing, and able to help,” Trump wrote in a social media post, adding that he had directed government agencies to mobilize resources for the disaster response.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would launch a “whole-of-government” effort to assist Venezuela, The Guardian reported.
“So we have a whole-of-government response. It’ll be big, it’ll be fast, and it’ll be effective,” Rubio told reporters during a visit to Bahrain, adding that the Defense Department would play a significant logistical role.
According to U.S. officials, disaster assistance teams, search-and-rescue personnel, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid are being prepared for deployment.
International Aid Arrives
Rodríguez thanked the United States for its support and said several other nations had also offered assistance.
She said rescue teams from the Dominican Republic were being deployed to Venezuela, while China and Brazil had sent humanitarian aid.
The government of Qatar has also organized a rescue brigade expected to arrive to support ongoing operations.
Rescue efforts remain underway as emergency workers continue searching damaged neighborhoods for survivors and assessing the full extent of the destruction left behind by one of Venezuela’s deadliest natural disasters in recent history.
