Thousands feared dead in Venezuela after two major earthquakes

CARACAS: Thousands of Venezuelans were feared dead on Thursday after two powerful earthquakes wreaked havoc in and around the capital Caracas, trapping people beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings and setting off powerful aftershocks.

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160 km (100 miles) west of Caracas on Wednesday afternoon, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, according to the US Geological Survey.

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.

READ MORE: Venezuela twin quakes kill at least 164, topple buildings

“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 neighbors coming down. But from that building, I only saw that one family got out.”

Website shows 10,000 people unaccounted for

Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said at least 164 people were confirmed dead and nearly 1,000 injured, and the government was working with business to deploy heavy machinery to accelerate efforts to help those still trapped.

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 on state television just before 1 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Thursday.

“La Guaira state is a true tragedy, and has become a disaster zone.”

Houses collapsed near the quake’s epicenter 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 told Reuters.

The US Geological Survey, using predictive modeling to estimate the death toll, said it would most likely run into the thousands, with a substantial probability of exceeding 10,000.