At least 164 people are dead after two earthquakes struck Venezuela, according to the country's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez. Rescuers were still searching for survivors as of Thursday, with the capital Caracas and its surrounding areas reporting some of the worst damage.
In El Junquito, on the outskirts of Caracas, video captured by a content creator showed the aftermath of a building collapse. People were seen fleeing the area. The footage offered a glimpse of the destruction that spread across multiple communities after the back-to-back quakes.
CNN reported that the twin earthquakes left a trail of destruction that prompted an international response. Trump pledged a rapid U.S. response following what officials described as a historic seismic event. The scale of the disaster drew comparisons to some of the most damaging earthquakes in the region's recent history.
Scientists described the event as a doublet earthquake, a relatively rare occurrence in which two large quakes strike in close succession near the same fault zone. The Wall Street Journal reported on the science behind the doublet designation, noting that the sequential nature of the strikes can compound structural damage in ways that a single quake of equivalent magnitude would not.
The New York Times reported that rescuers were still working through debris as the death toll continued to rise. Officials had not yet released a full accounting of injuries or the number of people still missing. The search and recovery effort was ongoing.
Venezuela was already under significant strain before the earthquakes struck. The country has faced years of economic collapse, infrastructure deterioration, and political instability, conditions that can make disaster response far more difficult and casualties far higher than they might otherwise be.
No timeline was given for when rescue operations were expected to conclude or when a final casualty count would be available.
