Rescue efforts continue after Venezuela quakes, high casualties expected

Strong earthquakes struck west of Venezuela's capital on Wednesday, toppling buildings in Caracas, trapping people in the rubble and prompting scientists to warn of potentially heavy casualties.

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160 km (100 miles) west of Caracas, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

"High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread," the USGS said, initially estimating the death toll would most likely range from 10,000 to 100,000.

Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said she would declare a state of emergency and request funds from multilateral organisations to back the recovery effort.

"We extend our condolences to those who have unfortunately suffered the loss of a family member," she said in a national address, without giving a national count for deaths or injuries.

Local officials and witnesses reported collapsed buildings, rescues and a growing number of injured.

U.S. mobilises emergency assistance

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the two earthquakes that hit Venezuela earlier in the day had "left a devastating number of deaths," without citing any official casualty figures.

"The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

U.S. State Department official Jeremy Lewin said that the department had mobilised a disaster assistance team and task force to deliver and coordinate critical assistance to Venezuelans.

The U.S. embassy in Caracas reported that all American personnel were accounted for.

Residents rush into the streets

Many Venezuelans were at home when the quakes struck during a public holiday marking an 1821 military victory that helped secure the country's independence from Spain.

"As soon as it started, we began hearing people screaming," said Astrid Ramirez, a 41-year-old publicist in western Caracas. "Everyone was running down the stairs."

Residents across Caracas, which was also hit by a deadly magnitude 6.3 earthquake in 1967, rushed to evacuate as buildings shook.

"There was a very loud crash. Things fell in the house, jugs inside the refrigerator. I've never experienced anything like it," said Coro Martinez, 56, who lives in eastern Caracas.

Hospitals brace for the injured

Fire trucks were seen on the streets of Caracas, where some buildings suffered significant facade damage.

At Caracas' Hospital de Clinicas, staff were asked to double up on the night shift to help treat the injured, a worker there said.

Venezuela's largest airport, in Maiquetia on the coast north of Caracas, was closed due to damages, Rodriguez said.

Classes were cancelled for the rest of the week as authorities began to take stock of the damage.

Tsunami alert withdrawn

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami threat for Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands after the earthquake, and said hazardous waves could also affect Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire. The warning was withdrawn about an hour later.

Venezuela lies in a seismically active zone where the Caribbean Plate meets the South American Plate.

An estimated 30,000 people were killed when a powerful quake caused widespread destruction in the cities of Merida and Caracas in 1812, according to the USGS.

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Trump Politics Venezuela Caracas Humanitarian Assistance Natural Disaster