CARACAS – Devastating earthquake struck\u00a0Venezuela\u00a0in succession\u00a0on Wednesday\u00a0evening killing at least\u00a0164\u00a0people and\u00a0hundreds more were injured,\u00a0acting president\u00a0DelcyRodriguez said. Rescue workers\u00a0are searching\u00a0through\u00a0the rubble\u00a0in and around the capital, Caracas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160 kilometres west of Caracas followed by a stronger 7.5-magnitude tremor\u00a0in less than a minute.\u00a0The USGS\u00a0has\u00a0warned that the death toll could rise significantly with predictive models suggesting fatalities could reach thousands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDozens of buildings have collapsed and we are carrying out intense rescue efforts,\u201d she said.\u00a0The tremors struck during a public holiday, prompting thousands of residents to flee homes and apartment blocks as buildings shook violently.\u00a0The initial report of death did not include the worst-hit La\u00a0Guaira, where many\u00a0building\u00a0had collapsed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Local officials reported multiple building collapses across the capital. Emergency\u00a0responders\u00a0worked through the night to search for survivors trapped under rubble while\u00a0distressed\u00a0relatives gathered at\u00a0the\u00a0disaster sites seeking information about missing loved ones.\u00a0A tsunami warning issued after the quakes was later cancelled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Authorities have closed Venezuela\u2019s main international airport in Maiquetia because of structural damage and suspended classes for the whole week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several countries including the United States, Brazil and the Dominican Republic\u00a0offered\u00a0assistance. The U.S. State Department said it was coordinating aid efforts with Venezuelan authorities as rescue operations continued.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CARACAS – Devastating earthquake struck\u00a0Venezuela\u00a0in succession\u00a0on Wednesday\u00a0evening killing at least\u00a0164\u00a0people and\u00a0hundreds more were injured,\u00a0acting president\u00a0DelcyRodriguez said. Rescue workers\u00a0are searching\u00a0through\u00a0the rubble\u00a0in and around the capital, Caracas. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160 kilometres west of Caracas followed by a stronger 7.5-magnitude tremor\u00a0in less than a minute.\u00a0The USGS\u00a0has\u00a0warned that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n