Venezuelans search rubble for survivors after 2 strong quakes kill at least 188

By JUAN PABLO ARRAEZ, REGINA GARCIA CANO and MEGAN JANETSKY, Associated Press

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelans searched for survivors beneath collapsed buildings Thursday and rescue teams raced to northern areas rocked by a pair of powerful earthquakes that officials say killed at least 188 people and left more than 200 trapped. More were feared dead.

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The 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that struck Wednesday evening were among the strongest in Venezuela in more than a century and were felt throughout the region. Some 1,500 people were injured and thousands were reported missing across the country. The coastal region of La Guaira, which is north of the capital, Caracas, experienced some of the heaviest damage and casualties, officials said.

Buildings were evacuated as far away as Brazil’s Amazon, about 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) from Caracas, where the country’s main airport was damaged and closed.

In cities across northern Venezuela, panicked residents poured into the streets and many walked among the debris searching for the missing. Injured children, animals and civilians covered in dust and blood were pulled out of concrete rubble. Some families sobbed in grief in front of their destroyed homes.

In La Guaira, retired schoolteacher Juan Alberto Mendaño climbed through wreckage and past a dead body when he spotted a woman who was trapped and signaling with her hand for help.

“God, let them rescue her as quickly as possible,” said Mendaño. “When we heard the scream, there was nothing we could do.”

At another damaged apartment complex, residents shouted the names of missing people: “Mirna! Marquitos!”

Offers of help poured in from around the world, including from the United States, which seized Venezuela’s then-president Nicolas Maduro at the beginning of the year in a surprise military operation.

The natural disaster is just the latest challenge for acting President Delcy Rodríguez, the former vice president who took office in January after Maduro’s capture. Venezuela has been facing economic disarray for more than a decade, and many people reject the legitimacy of the political movement Rodriguez represents.

Rescue teams head to heavily damaged coastal region

Jorge Rodriguez, the president of Venezuela’s National Assembly and brother of the acting president, gave updated figures Thursday for the numbers of dead, trapped and injured.

Delcy Rodríguez said authorities were shifting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira, which she described as a “disaster zone.”

“Dozens of buildings have collapsed there … and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,” she said.

Rodríguez appealed to businesses to make heavy construction equipment available for rescue operations, adding that search and rescue teams certified by the United Nations were on their way to help.

While Venezuela sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates makes strong earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the first earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.2, hit west of Moron on the Caribbean coast, about 105 miles west of Caracas. It had a depth of about 14 miles. Just a minute later, USGS reported a second 7.5 magnitude earthquake, with a depth of about 6 miles and an epicenter 10 miles southwest of Moron.

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Officials urged people to remain outside as aftershocks could cause further damage..

Venezuela residents reeling from two strong quakes

During the quakes, people ran from swaying buildings. Many were stunned Thursday morning as they saw buildings reduced to skeletons, furniture hanging out of windows and helicopters circling overhead.

In La Guaira, Cristian Carreño stared at his charred apartment building tilting precariously to one side.

“I lost everything,” he said. “There are people still inside, I imagine, that couldn’t get out. It’s incredibly devastating.”

Dayana Delgado, mother of three children, said she was desperate because her 8-year-old son was missing. Delgado asked where the heavy machinery was that government officials had promised, pointing out that neighbors were the ones digging through the rubble.

“I want to know where my child is, if he’s trapped or in a shelter,” she said.

Authorities warned people against returning to homes with structural damage. In downtown Caracas, hundreds spent the night huddled in parks, parking lots and other open spaces.

“We were afraid the buildings would collapse on us,” said María Cristina Díaz, a 41-year-old janitor. “My mother, my daughter and I were cold. We didn’t sleep a wink.”

“It was awful. We cried, we screamed. Thankfully, we’re alive,” she added.

Parts of the capital lost power and cellphone service, Rodríguez said. Subway services were suspended and natural gas was shut off, she said. Classes will also be canceled for several days, and the Ministry of Education said some school buildings would be used as shelters and donation centers.

Families began posting missing-person flyers with photos of loved ones, while others shared handwritten lists of names as they searched for those still unaccounted for. Venezuelans living abroad struggled to make contact with relatives.

Shortly after U.N. officials in Venezuela called on the government to lift social media restrictions so people can get potentially life-saving information, Venezuelans in the country were able to access X. The site had been blocked by Maduro since August 2024, in an attempt to suppress the exchange of information among those who rejected his claim of victory in the July presidential elections.

Several governments offered assistance

Rodríguez declared a state of emergency in an address to the nation late Wednesday. She said the government was creating a $200 million reconstruction fund for damaged hospitals and homes.

Countries from across the world — from Qatar to Mexico — began to send aid to Venezuela. International search-and-rescue teams are expected to start arriving “in the coming hours,” the United Nations spokesman said early Thursday afternoon.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had spoken to Rodríguez following the quake, said the United States is “immediately” deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources other assistance, though he acknowledged the closure of the airport in Caracas was creating some logistical challenges.

Garcia Cano reported from Bogota, Colombia, and Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Associated Press writers Anna-Catherine Brigida in Mexico City, Danica Coto in San Juan, Clara Preve in Buenos Aires, Astrid Suarez in Bogota, Colombia, and Edith Lederer at the United Nations, contributed to this report.

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