Venezuelans search rubble for survivors after 2 strong quakes kill at least 164

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 164 people. Many more were feared dead.

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. Nearly 1,000 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. Television broadcasts showed rescue workers using power tools to get through piles of rubble.

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 poses a major 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.

Rodríguez, who gave the latest death toll early Thursday, 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," Rodríguez said. Footage on state TV showed three children, covered in dust but alive, pulled from the rubble in La Guaira.

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 170 kilometers (105 miles) west of Caracas. It had a depth of 22 kilometers (about 14 miles). Just a minute later, USGS reported a second 7.5 magnitude earthquake, with a depth of 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) and an epicenter 16 kilometers (10 miles) southwest of Moron.

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

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.

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

Delgado asked where the heavy machinery was that government officials had promised, pointing out that neighbors were the ones digging through the rubble.

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.

The U.N. human rights mission in Venezuela called on the government to lift local restrictions on social media so people can get more timely access to potentially life-saving information. In August 2024, Maduro ordered X blocked in an attempt to suppress the exchange of information among those who rejected his claim of victory in the July presidential elections.

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 hospitals and homes damaged by the earthquakes, and had instructed the economy and finance ministers to oversee the effort.

Countries from across the world from Qatar to Mexico began to send aid to Venezuela. Rodríguez expressed thanks for the messages of support and offers for help.

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, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela."

"We will have a whole government response," Rubio said Thursday in Bahrain, noting the were facing logistical obstacles with Caracas' airport collapsed. "It will be big. It will be fast. It will be effective."