Rescue teams and residents continued searching for survivors across northern Venezuela on Thursday after two powerful earthquakes killed at least 235 people and left more than 1,500 injured.
The twin earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck less than a minute apart on Wednesday night, according to the United States Geological Survey. Buildings collapsed, cracked or leaned dangerously across the affected region, while powerful aftershocks continued to shake the area a day later.
Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said the death toll had risen from 188 to at least 235 as emergency crews worked to reach people trapped beneath the rubble.
In the worst-hit state of La Guaira, north of Caracas, rescue efforts were hampered by limited equipment and personnel. Residents described hearing survivors calling for help but being unable to reach them.
"We need people..., military personnel, to come and help so we can get her out," said Dani Rizo, 48, as neighbours tried to rescue a young girl trapped beneath a collapsed building.
Local residents later told AFP that the girl had died before rescuers could reach her.
Elsewhere in La Guaira, voices could still be heard beneath another collapsed building.
"They're still alive... There's nothing more we can do," resident Antonio Bermudez said. "We don't have any tools. We have no way to help."
A doctor at Domingo Luciani Hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said ambulances were bringing in children rescued from collapsed buildings, many of them unaccompanied.
"Some children provide their names, while others arrive with identification tape on their arms," the doctor said.
A rescue worker, also speaking anonymously, said operations were being hindered by a shortage of trained personnel and significant technical limitations.
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez visited La Guaira after the government declared the area a disaster zone. AFP journalists also witnessed residents looting a supermarket in the city.
Nicole Kast, Venezuela's director of the International Rescue Committee, described the situation as catastrophic.
International assistance began arriving as countries including Switzerland, Spain, France, Portugal and Mexico sent specialist rescue teams and emergency personnel.
The United States said it was deploying two warships, transport aircraft and helicopters, alongside US$150 million in aid.
"We have a whole-of-government response. It'll be big, it'll be fast, and it'll be effective," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
Washington has remained closely involved in Venezuela since US forces ousted and arrested President Nicolas Maduro in January.
China, India, Brazil and Iran also offered assistance, while Pope Leo XIV pledged an initial 100,000 euros in emergency aid.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply saddened" by the disaster, as the organisation pledged its support. UN emergency relief chief Tom Fletcher said the strongest earthquake to strike Venezuela in 126 years would require "massive collective efforts".
Relief operations are expected to face further challenges after La Guaira's international airport was closed because of significant earthquake damage.
Officials from Italy and Portugal confirmed that one citizen from each country was among those killed.
Venezuela's northern coast lies along the boundary between the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates. The country had not experienced a major earthquake since 1997, when 73 people were killed. Another earthquake in 1967 claimed 236 lives.
The 7.5-magnitude earthquake on Wednesday was the country's strongest since a magnitude 7.7 offshore quake on 29 October 1900.
The tremors were also felt in neighbouring Colombia, where buildings were evacuated in Bogotá as a precaution. Brazil's seismic monitoring network reported tremors in several northern cities.
In Caracas, many residents spent the night sleeping in their cars or on the streets after buildings were damaged.
Among them was Rita Gomez, 60, who travelled to the capital after seeing social media reports that the building where her daughter lived had collapsed.
She said heavy machinery had reached the site and praised neighbours who joined the rescue effort.
"There is a lot of cooperation from the neighbours. We are trusting in God that they will find her alive," she said.
