CARACAS (Reuters): The death toll from Venezuela’s devastating earthquakes has risen to at least 164, with 971 people injured, interim president Delcy Rodriguez said on Thursday.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160km (100 miles) west of Caracas at around 6 pm on Wednesday (local time), followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Venezuela’s strongest earthquake since 1900 sent rescuers and locals clambering in the dark over flattened buildings, hunting for survivors and extracting people from under the ruins.
Around 30 aftershocks have been recorded following the two strongest quakes, according to Rodriguez. She described La Guaira, located near the capital, as the “hardest-hit region”.
Venezuela’s interim leader had earlier declared a state of emergency as the two earthquakes caused buildings in the capital to crumble and forced the closure of the country’s main airport.
“High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” the USGS said, initially estimating the death toll would most likely range from 10,000 to 100,000.
According to the USGS, the 7.5-magnitude earthquake that hit Venezuela was the most powerful since Oct 29, 1900, when a 7.7-magnitude quake hit offshore.
After Wednesday’s shock, some residential buildings showed large cracks and fallen walls, with dozens of others destroyed, according to AFP reporters. Local officials and witnesses reported collapsed buildings, rescues and a growing number of injured.
“We have buildings, homes and houses which have collapsed and we are taking care of things with everything we have available in terms of security, civil assistance,” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television.
“The fire department, police, all have been activated.”
Video footage showed emergency workers climbing through the ruins of a collapsed building in the capital as night fell, while distraught relatives sought help for loved ones believed to be trapped.
In Chacao, an eastern Caracas municipality, Mayor Gustavo Duque told broadcaster Globovision that two structures had collapsed, 16 people were injured, and there were deaths, though he gave no figure for fatalities.
“We’re going to do everything we can to rescue the most people possible,” he said.
