Death Toll Hits 188 in Venezuela as Twin Quakes Level Buildings, Rescuers Dig for Survivors
At least 188 people are dead and rescuers are racing against time to find survivors after two massive earthquakes struck Venezuela, collapsing buildings in the capital Caracas and nearby coastal towns.
Venezuelan authorities are intensifying the search for survivors after twin earthquakes killed at least 188 people [181777]. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said rescue teams are being moved from other regions to the hardest-hit area of La Guaira [181777]. The government has declared a state of emergency following the quakes and subsequent aftershocks [181777].
In the capital, Caracas, volunteers, medics, and relatives of victims gathered in the Altamira area, hoping to save people trapped under collapsed buildings [181777]. “I live far away, but I came here riding my motorbike as fast as I could,” said José Morillo, standing outside a collapsed block of flats called Residencias Obelisco [181777].
The two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela’s northern coast on Wednesday, collapsing buildings and killing at least 164 people [181693]. In the capital, Caracas, and nearby coastal towns, residents fled into the streets as buildings shook and fractured [181693].
“It was horrible. I felt like the house was moving to a different rhythm to the earth,” said 18-year-old Sebastian Rodríguez. “I had to carry my mum out. She was paralysed by fear” [181693]. Rodríguez’s family runs a shop in Centro Plaza, a commercial center in the affluent Los Palos Grandes neighborhood [181693].
The quakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, hit less than 40 seconds apart late Wednesday afternoon [181686]. Dozens of buildings collapsed, and the country’s main gateway, the Simón Bolívar international airport near the capital Caracas, was badly damaged [181686].
Rescue crews continue to search for survivors in the rubble [181693]. Officials have not yet released a full estimate of those injured or missing [181693].