At least 164 people have died, and 971 were injured after a pair of powerful quakes rocked Venezuela, Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said Thursday.
The acting president had said earlier that at least 32 people had died after Wednesday evening’s 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes, and that the toll was expected to rise.
The quakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century and could be felt throughout the region. Buildings were evacuated in places as far away as Brazil’s Amazon, about 1,700 kilometres (1,050 miles) from Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.
Footage on state TV showed three children, covered in dust but alive, pulled from the rubble in La Guaira state, which Acting President Delcy Rodriguez described as a “disaster zone” and the area hardest hit by Wednesday evening’s 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes.
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.
Rodriguez declared a state of emergency in an address to the nation late Wednesday, saying the quakes caused damage in several states. She asked health care professionals to report to hospitals to assist the injured.
The casualty figures she released early Thursday – including at least 700 injured – excluded La Guaira, which sits north of Caracas on the coast, and so the numbers are expected to rise.
“Dozens of buildings have collapsed there … and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,” Rodriguez said.
Thursday’s television broadcasts showed rescue workers using power tools to work their way into piles of rubble. Many people searching for the missing appeared to be regular people, rather than professionals. Collapsed buildings, toppled electric poles, and debris blocked streets.
During the quakes, people ran from swaying buildings in Caracas, many visibly shocked when they turned back to see destroyed walls that left furniture visible from the street. Columns of dust rose in two typically busy neighbourhoods in the capital.
“It started off gently and then gradually grew, and in the end, we all had to leave our houses, go outside and gather together,” Caracas resident Hector Ricci said.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello urged people to remain outside as aftershocks could further damage structures, and many people stayed on the streets for hours, some sitting on the ground hugging pets as dust gathered around them. Others spent the night in parked cars, subway stations and other public places.
Parts of the capital lost power and cellphone coverage, and the earthquakes damaged and closed Simon Bolivar International Airport, the country’s main airport, Rodriguez said.
In Caracas, subway services were suspended and natural gas shut off, she said. Classes will also be cancelled for several days, and the Ministry of Education said some school buildings would be used as shelters and donation centres.