More than a hundred dead and a thousand injured after the strongest earthquake in Venezuela since 1900

At least 164 people were killed and about a thousand injured as a result of a double earthquake on Wednesday, the strongest in Venezuela since 1900, prompting the authorities to declare a state of emergency, while journalists from Agence France-Presse saw collapsed buildings and scenes of panic in Caracas.

Acting President Delcy Rodriguez announced in an updated toll on Thursday that at least 164 people had been killed and about a thousand injured, after a first toll in which she reported about 32 dead and 700 injured.

Rodriguez declared a state of emergency, and the capital’s airport was closed, which suffered severe damage, according to Rodriguez.

The first earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 occurred at 18:04 (22:04 GMT) at a depth of 21.9 km, about 200 km from Caracas, and was followed 39 seconds later by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 and a depth of 10 km at a distance of 45 km, followed by about thirty aftershocks, according to the US Geological Survey (USGC).

The American authority stated that “the event was a double earthquake” and is “a disaster whose consequences are expected to be serious,” suggesting that “the death toll will be high and the damage will be widespread.”

The authority stated that this is the strongest earthquake to hit Venezuela in more than a century, since it recorded on October 29, 1900, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake off the coast of northeastern Caracas, causing “major damage.”

In Caracas, AFP photographers saw rescue operations begin around collapsed buildings, where people were pulled from under the rubble.

US President Donald Trump announced on his network, Truth Social, that “the United States is ready, willing, and able to provide its assistance” to Venezuela, adding, “I have issued instructions to all agencies of our government to be ready to act quickly.”

Trump, whose country restored diplomatic relations with Caracas after the arrest of its president, Nicolas Maduro, in January during an operation carried out by American special forces, added, “We will stand by our great new friends.”

Later Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States would “immediately send” rescue teams and aid to Venezuela.

Rubio wrote, in a post on