Rescue teams are racing to Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes near the capital Caracas reduced dozens of buildings to rubble, with thousands of people feared dead.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160km west of Caracas on Wednesday evening, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 magnitude tremor, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Interim president Delcy Rodríguez said at least 188 people were confirmed dead and more than 1,500 injured.
The USGS, using predictive modelling to estimate the death toll, said it could run into the thousands, with a “substantial probability” of it exceeding 10,000.
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A website set up to track missing people by opposition party leaders listed more than 39,000 people as unaccounted for as of 5.45pm Irish time on Thursday.
Experts say many of the collapsed buildings may have lacked adequate steel reinforcement. Others said further damage may occur due to the vulnerability of some buildings to potential aftershocks.
Emergency workers scrambled over the debris of collapsed buildings in Caracas as night fell, while distraught relatives sought help for loved ones feared trapped. Dazed survivors were taken away, some on stretchers.
“When we went downstairs, the scene was like a horror movie,” said Maria Alejandra, a resident from a nearby building, who did not give her surname.
“We had to climb over the rubble and everything. The building superintendent with the baby and all the neighbours coming down. But from that building, I only saw that one family got out.”
The worst-affected area was La Guaira state, near Caracas and home to the city’s airport. Witnesses’ footage showed scenes of panic as ceilings came down in the airport and rubble from destroyed buildings along the seafront.
“Dozens of buildings have collapsed, and we are currently carrying out very intense rescue efforts to save as many lives as God allows us to save,” Rodriguez said.
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“La Guaira state is a true tragedy, and has become a disaster zone.”
Houses collapsed near the quake’s epicentre in Morón, a small seaside town in the state of Carabobo, where there was no water or electricity.
Three children were among at least eight killed in the area, municipal mayor Emily Riera said.
Many Venezuelans were at home when the quakes struck during a public holiday.
On Thursday, there were queues at petrol stations while panic buying was reported at some supermarkets, most of which remained closed.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the defence department would help search-and-rescue teams deploy to the affected region.
“They have [lots of] collapsed buildings and so they will need a lot of help in terms of digging through that,” said Rubio, adding that the next 72 “golden” hours were critical.
Tom Fletcher, head of the UN’s humanitarian agency Ocha, said: “We will surge in people, we will surge in solidarity and, most important, we will surge in search and rescue support ... Now is the time for action.”
Other cities and towns close to Caracas affected by the quake, including El Junquito and La Guaira, remained without power on Thursday morning, increasing challenges for rescue workers.
Residents across Caracas, where infrastructure was already crumbling due to lack of investment, rushed to evacuate as buildings shook.
“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.”
– Additional reporting: Reuters
