Desperate Venezuelans are battling to rescue loved ones trapped alive beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings after two major earthquakes that killed at least 188 people.
Buildings cracked, crumbled, and tilted precariously after the quakes, which the United States Geological Survey measured at magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, hit northern Venezuela within less than a minute of each other on Wednesday night.
Powerful aftershocks could still be felt Thursday as National Assembly chief Jorge Rodríguez announced the death toll had risen to 188, with 1,520 injured.
The number is expected to rise in the coming days.
Argentina’s government said it is monitoring the situation closely, offered to put any “differences” aside and expressed “its willingness to assist with humanitarian aid.”
Rescue efforts moved slowly, with bodies still visible under debris hours after the quakes, while time ran out for some of those who were trapped and injured.
In a city in the worst-hit state of La Guaira, north of Caracas, residents listened helplessly as a young girl cried out for help for hours.
"We need people..., military personnel, to come and help so we can get her out," said resident Dani Rizo, 48.
Not long after, the girl died, locals told reporters.
Rescue efforts moved slowly, with bodies still visible under debris hours after the quakes, while time ran out for some of those who were trapped and injured.
In a city in the worst-hit state of La Guaira, north of Caracas, residents listened helplessly as a young girl cried out for help for hours.
"We need people..., military personnel, to come and help so we can get her out," said resident Dani Rizo, 48.
Not long after, the girl died, locals told reporters.
Elsewhere in La Guaira, three people could be heard in the rubble of a collapsed building.
"They're still alive... There's nothing more we can do," said one resident, Antonio Bermúdez. "We don't have any tools. We have no way to help."
A doctor at the Domingo Luciani Hospital in the city, speaking on condition of anonymity, said children were arriving in ambulances alone after being pulled out of the rubble.
"Some children provide their names, while others arrive with identification tape on their arms," he said.
Rescue teams on way
A rescue worker, speaking off the record, said conditions were precarious, with a shortage of trained personnel and significant technical limitations.
Interim president Delcy Rodríguez visited La Guaira on Thursday after the area was declared a "disaster zone."
Reporters witnessed residents looting a local supermarket in the city.
Venezuela's director of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Nicole Kast, described the situation as "catastrophic."
UN chief António Guterres said he was "deeply saddened" by the disaster as the global body vowed to assist Venezuela.
The strongest quake to hit Venezuela in 126 years will require "massive collective efforts," UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement.
Threatening to complicate relief efforts, the international airport is in La Guaira and has been closed after suffering serious damage.
An Italian and a Portuguese citizen were among the dead, officials from both countries confirmed.
Tremors felt in Colombia, Brazil
Venezuela's northern coast sits on a boundary between the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates, but has not suffered a significant quake since 1997, when 73 people died.
Another quake in 1967 killed 236 people.
Wednesday's 7.5-magnitude earthquake was the most powerful since October 29, 1900, when a 7.7-magnitude tremor struck offshore.
The quake was felt across Colombia, where residents in Bogotá evacuated buildings as a precaution. Tremors were also reported in several cities in northern Brazil, according to the country's seismic monitoring network.
Scenes of panic and destruction also played out in the capital Caracas, where many spent the night sleeping on the streets or in their cars.
Rita Gómez, 60, travelled to the capital after seeing on social media that the building her daughter lives in had collapsed and that she was not answering her phone.
She said that heavy machinery had arrived and there was "a lot of cooperation from the neighbours. We are trusting in God that they will find her alive."
– TIMES/AFP
World sends rescuers, aid as Venezuela reels from quakes
Offers of rescue support, aid and condolences have poured into Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes left at least 180 dead and hundreds injured.
United Nations-certified rescuers will help search for quake survivors, interim president Delcy Rodríguez said in a televised message.
Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Cuba and others have offered rescuers, medical personnel, aircraft or humanitarian supplies.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said it had released US$2.5 million to support recovery efforts.
Pope Leo XIV sent "initial" emergency aid of 100,000 euros (US$114,000) to Venezuela, the Vatican announced.
US President Donald Trump said his country "stands ready, willing, and able to help." He "instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio promised a "whole-of-government response" that would be "big... fast and... effective".
Washington said Thursday it was mobilising a US$150-million aid package. It will include US$50 million in new bilateral awards to aid groups already working in Venezuela, as well as a US$100-million contribution to a UN humanitarian fund for the country.
US State Department officials said Washington was coordinating with interim Venezuelan authorities, aid partners and the private sector to assess needs and deliver assistance in the crucial first days after the disaster.
The US response comes as ties between Washington and Caracas have warmed in recent months after American forces captured former president Nicolas Maduro in January and the Trump administration began working with an interim government led by Delcy Rodriguez.
Elsewhere, China said it was "willing to provide what help it can in an appropriate manner according to the needs of the Venezuelan side," according to a Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei voiced "Iran's readiness to provide any assistance required in relief and rescue operations.”
Offers of support also came from Latin America. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her country was dispatching a military team of rescuers and medical personnel. Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he had listened to news about the quake "with great concern" and would support recovery efforts.
El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele said he had readied 300 rescuers and paramedics and 50 tons of equipment, medicines and basic supplies.
Cuban health workers were already "fully mobilised and providing medical services to the affected population," said Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez.
Chilean President José Antonio Kast said he was dispatching humanitarian aid and rescue teams to Venezuela.
Colombia, which also felt the quakes, will send more than 60 rescuers and 12 tons of humanitarian aid to its neighbour, its disaster management agency said.
– TIMES/AFP
