Buildings collapse as deadly twin quakes hit Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) —  Venezuelans searched for survivors beneath collapsed buildings Thursday and rescue teams raced to the areas hardest hit by a pair of powerful earthquakes that rocked northern Venezuela, killing at least 188 people.

The 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that struck Wednesday evening were among the strongest in Venezuela in more than a century and could be felt throughout the region. Nearly 1,000 people were injured and thousands were reported missing across the country, with damage and casualties particularly heavy in the coastal region of La Guaira, which is north of Caracas, the capital.

More than 200 people were trapped amid the collapsing debris, according to Jorge Rodríguez Gómez, the president of Venezuela's National Assembly.

(MORE: Northern California shaken by moderate earthquake)

The U.S. Geological Survey said the first earthquake was west of the community of Morón, located along the country’s Caribbean coast, about 104 miles west of Caracas. The quake had a depth of 8 miles.

The USGS reported an even larger 7.5-magnitude earthquake just a minute later. The second quake had a depth of 6 miles and its epicenter was 10 miles southwest of Morón.

Buildings were evacuated as far away as Brazil’s Amazon, about 1,050 miles from Caracas, where the country’s main airport was closed after sustaining damage.

Panicked residents of the capital poured into the streets, where many people walked among the debris searching for the missing. Television broadcasts showed rescue workers using power tools to get through piles of rubble where buildings once stood.

In La Guaira, Cristian Carreño stared stunned at his charred apartment building tilting precariously to one side.

“I lost everything. Everything,” he said. “There are people still inside, I imagine, that couldn’t get out. It’s incredibly devastating.”

Venezuela’s state-run VTV showed footage early Thursday of three children, covered in dust but alive, being pulled from the rubble in hard-hit La Guaira.

The earthquakes damaged and closed Simón Bolívar International Airport near Caracas, the country’s main airport, said Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, adding that schools were canceled and subway and natural gas services in Caracas were not operating. She urged Venezuelans to use a government app to report damage.

Rodríguez declared a state of emergency in an address to the nation late Wednesday, saying the quakes caused damage in several states.

'We all had to leave our houses'

Television broadcasts showed rescue workers using power tools on collapsed structures and dozens of people spending the night in parked cars, subway stations and other public places to heed warnings to avoid damaged structures. Collapsed buildings, toppled electric poles and debris blocked streets.

“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.

Roberto Gama said his building in Caracas “really shook from side to side. Unreal. The force was incredibly strong.”

Cellphone service was unavailable across parts of Venezuela, which deepened the distress of many families, particularly among the more than 7.7 million people who have left the country.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello urged people to remain outside as aftershocks could cause further damage.

Rodríguez appealed to businesses to make heavy construction equipment available for rescue operations, adding that search and rescue teams certified by the United Nations were on their way to help.

Earthquakes impact the region

Buildings in Manaus, Belem and Macapá in Brazil's Amazon were evacuated, according to TV Globo. The earthquakes also were felt in Colombia’s Caribbean and northeast regions.

The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued several tsunami alerts after the earthquakes that were quickly lifted, with the center later reporting there was no tsunami threat.

Strong earthquakes are unusual in Venezuela despite sitting near multiple fault lines at its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates.

Quakes are frequent in other countries on Latin America's Pacific coast, including Mexico and Chile, which sit along the seismically active tectonic belt known as the Ring of Fire, an area that the USGS said is responsible for 90% of earthquakes.