Powerful twin earthquakes strike Venezuela, killing at least 164 and injuring hundreds
Venezuela’s president gives first death toll as Trump says the US is ‘ready, willing, and able to help’
Venezuela’s Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said on Thursday that at least 164 people have died and nearly 1,000 were injured after major earthquakes hit the country.
Rodriguez added that an initial fund of US$200 million will be created using resources from the International Monetary Fund to rebuild infrastructure, hospitals and housing.
Thousands of Venezuelans were feared dead on Thursday after two powerful earthquakes wreaked havoc in and around the capital Caracas, trapping people beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings and setting off powerful aftershocks.
At least 700 were injured after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160km (100 miles) west of Caracas, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Video footage showed emergency workers scrambling over the pancaked debris of a collapsed building in the capital as night fell, while distraught relatives sought help for loved ones believed to be trapped. Several dazed survivors were taken away, some on stretchers.
“Dozens of buildings have collapsed, and we are currently carrying out very intense rescue efforts to save as many lives as God allows us to save,” Rodriguez said in an appearance on state television just before 1am local time on Thursday.