Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, announced a state of emergency after two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck near the capital Caracas Wednesday night, collapsing buildings and sowing panic. Simon Bolivar International Airport (CCS), Venezuela's main international gateway, where a section of the roof crumbled will close following "serious damage" to its infrastructure, Rodriguez said.
"We urge our population to remain calm," Rodriguez said in an address. "We urge unity."
Additionally, classes have been cancelled for several days.
Rodriguez also asked all healthcare professionals in the country to report to hospitals to assist anyone who was injured.
At least 32 people have died and more than 700 have suffered injuries, Rodriguez said.
Follow LIVE Updates On Venezuela Earthquake
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), an earthquake of magnitude 7.2, with an epicenter west of the community of Moron, about 168 kilometers west of Caracas, hit the country. The quake had a depth of 21.9 kilometers. Within 39 seconds, another strong earthquake of magnitude 7.5 hit. It had a depth of 10 kilometers.
The USGS defined the two earthquakes as "foreshock" and "mainshock."
"This earthquake was the first event in a doublet, this magnitude 7.2 foreshock was followed just 39 seconds later by a larger 7.5 mainshock," the USGS said.
Over 20 aftershocks followed.
The USGS estimates suggest the death count would likely range from 10,000 to a lakh.
In the state of Falcon, Governor Victor Clark said 32 people had been hospitalised and more than four hours after the earthquake there were still 15 people trapped.
Gustavo Duque, the mayor of the Chacao municipality in Caracas, said several buildings collapsed, and 18 survivors were extracted from one building alone. He urged citizens to seek shelter and aid at public plazas as there could be aftershocks.
"We're going to do everything we can to rescue the most people possible," he said, as reported by the news agency Reuters.
The US has extended help to the South American nation, stating it "stands with the Venezuelan people in the aftermath of this evening's devastating earthquakes."
"We're in touch with the authorities and mobilising assistance. May God bless our Venezuelan friends at this difficult moment," Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on X.
In a heartwarming visual, a man is seen carrying two dogs in his arms as he makes his way out of a damaged building, saving not just his life, but also his pets.
The intensity of the two earthquakes, said to be among the strongest quakes to hit the country in more than a century, is evident in footage from inside a building. In a scene from a living room, a vase has fallen on a table, a wall mounted television shakes violently, and a couch placed next to it moves to and fro.
Landslides have also been triggered by the earthquake.
