Venezuela earthquakes: ‘intensive’ search for survivors as death toll rises to 188 – as it happened

The US government has pledged $150m in aid for Venezuela following the devastating earthquake.

The State Department said the package would include $50m for aid groups already working in Venezuela, as well as a $100m contribution to a UN humanitarian fund for the country.

The deadly double earthquake which struck Venezuela’s coast, west of the capital Caracas, was an event known as a “doublet”.

According to the US Geological Survey, doublet earthquakes happen when a pair of similar-sized quakes follow one another in quick succession.

On Wednesday, a 7.2 magnitude tremor hit first, followed by a larger 7.5 magnitude quake just 39 seconds later.

Doublets are less common than typical earthquakes in which a main quake is followed by much smaller aftershocks.

Nonetheless, doublets can happen anywhere in the world, but tend to indicate a complex fault structure, like the one in Venezuela that’s known as the Bocono fault.

Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, has said his administration should reopen the embassies in Venezuela and Iran that his predecessors closed.

Speaking on Thursday, he said he recognised the disagreements which led to the closures, but said Canada’s current lack of diplomatic presence is not only hampering Ottawa’s ability to help Canadians abroad, but is also limiting its ability to respond to humanitarian crises.

“Engagement is not endorsement,” Carney said. “Having an embassy, having consular services in a country, does not mean we endorse the policies of that country.”

A decision has not yet been made, he said, but added that the situation needs to change.

Canada suspended operations at its embassy in Venezuela in 2019, saying the regime of then Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro would not renew visas for its diplomats.

“There are a series of countries with whom we don’t see eye to eye, to put it mildly, where we don’t have representation in the country,” Carney said. “And that puts us as a disadvantage, first and foremost, to helping Canadians that are in these countries.”

The death toll has risen to 188, with more than 1,500 people injured after two powerful earthquakes struck the country on Wednesday.

Jorge Rodríguez, the president of the national assembly, told reporters that 1,520 victims had been taken to hospital for treatment. There were also 157 people missing, Rodríguez added, calling on citizens to report to the government relatives who are missing.

Hector Moran Cirkovic, 61, a former architect, was by the beach in Catia La Mar, in La Guaira, about 45 minutes by car from the centre of Caracas. He was with his wife and adult daughter and other family members when they saw the earthquakes hit.

“We were by the swimming pool,” he says of their location at the Club Playa Grande Yachting Club. “First the earthquakes were mild, then very strong for 40 seconds, then I saw buildings collapse in front of me.”

He says he saw five buildings “collapsed vertically in front of my eyes”. In total, he saw around 30 collapsed buildings in the vicinity.

One of the buildings they saw collapse was the twin 13-floor building next to the one where they have a beach flat.

“We used to play there when we were kids; it’s really shocking. We know people from there. It was brutal and very fast. There weren’t even five seconds to leave. Everybody [around them] was shouting and in shock, thinking life is over. There was lots of fear, panic and hysteria, but we were safe at the club.”

He said the electricity and internet went down, and after the family stayed by the beach “for about four hours,” then decided to drive back in two cars to their home in Santa Monica, southwest of Caracas.

“Most roads were blocked but we found a gap and managed to leave the area,” he said.

The highway to Caracas was “unviable”, so they took small roads until they got home several hours later.

“While we were driving we saw destroyed buildings and bodies on the road.”

Hector said he stayed cool but “lost it” on Thursday morning.

“I couldn’t help crying, I grew up there, right in front of those flats and the beach club” he said. “My father was a founder member.”

In Caracas, his family’s home was not badly damaged: the lift was stuck, “lots of stuff broken”, and their piano had travelled from one side of the room to the other.

He said there is an atmosphere of tension and fear.

“There is lots of destruction. People are very scared, and some are panic-buying. The roads are quiet. Electricity is patchy. People were on the street either tidying up or patching the streets to make them drivable, and some are sleeping in their cars or just on chairs in the street.”

Claudia Sheinbaum, president of Mexico, told the Associated Press that Mexico was sending a team of military rescue workers and medical personnel to Venezuela on Thursday.

“Mexico is always and will be in solidarity,” Sheinbaum posted on X.

Canada will provide humanitarian assistance to support Venezuela in the aftermath of the earthquakes, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney posted on X.

“On behalf of Canadians, I offer my sincere condolences to the loved ones of those who were lost. My thoughts are with everyone who has been injured or displaced and with the first responders working tirelessly to save lives,” Carney said.

“Canada is preparing humanitarian assistance to support Venezuelans in the days and weeks ahead.”

The Guardian’s Lucy Hough with the Today in Focus podcast speaks to Latin America correspondent Tom Phillips about rescue efforts and a state of emergency in Venezuela. Have a listen:

The US defence department “stands ready” to support Venezuela and the US state department in the aftermath of the earthquakes, Sean Parnell, a spokesman for the Pentagon, posted on X.

“Our forces are prepared to move quickly, bringing the unmatched airlift, logistics, and operational capabilities of the US military to help save lives and support the government of Venezuela during this crisis,” Parnell said.

Switzerland is deploying a rescue team and tonnes of equipment to Venezuela to aid in the aftermath of two devastating earthquakes, AFP reports.

The Swiss rescue chain – which is comprised of 80 members, eight rescue dogs and 18 tonnes of rescue equipment – has been mobilised, with deployment planned for Thursday night, the Swiss foreign ministry said.

“The mission of the Swiss rescue chain is to search for, extricate, and rescue victims buried under the rubble,” the foreign ministry said.

Here is a look at all the previous earthquakes to hit Venezuela and its neighbours, scaled by magnitude:

Here is the terrifying scene at Maiquetia airport in Venezuela when one of the earthquakes struck:

Nelson Hidalgo, 38, who lives on the first floor of a 13-storey building in Maracay, a city in north-central Venezuela, about 109 km (68 miles) south west of Caracas, says he was trying to help his mother down the stairs when the second earthquake struck.

“I was with my mother and her carer, and we just tried to rush downstairs, but my mother has reduced mobility,” he said. “During the second earthquake, we were going down the stairs, and the wall started collapsing, it felt like a movie.”

Hidalgo, who is a mechanical engineer, says they left their home in such haste that he was barefoot. They stayed at their mother’s carer’s home, which suffered no damage.

He returned to the building on Thursday to get some basic belongings, but he is not sure to what extent the building is damaged.

“My building has suffered; we still don’t know if the damage is just superficial or structural,” he said. “We are just worried, especially for the people in La Guaira.”

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil expressed his country’s “determination” to support the government of Venezuela in its recovery efforts.

Lula said on X that he had instructed Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assess the situation in Venezuela “and to evaluate what assistance measures Brazil might adopt.”

“I reaffirm our determination to support the government of acting-president Delcy Rodríguez in the recovery of affected areas in this sister nation, whose people have demonstrated great resilience in the face of adversity,” he wrote.

A view of the remains of a building damaged by earthquakes that hit Caracas, Venezuela, today.

The head of the UN’s humanitarian agency, Tom Fletcher, said the organisation is “fully mobilised” to provide assistance in Venezuela, adding that “the coming days will require a massive collective effort to support the government-led response and help communities”.

In a statement, he said:

Even before these earthquakes, nearly 8 million people in Venezuela were in need of humanitarian support. This disaster risks deepening existing vulnerabilities.

Sustained international support for humanitarian organizations responding on the ground is essential and urgent.”

The Netherlands said it would be sending a team of rescue workers to help Venezuela, after the country was struck by its strongest earthquake in more than a century.

“The needs are immense,” foreign trade minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma said in a statement, announcing 2m euro aid package to deploy a search and rescue team that includes rescue workers and dogs and equipment.

Iran said it was ready to help with rescue and relief operations after Venezuela was struck by its strongest earthquake in more than a century.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a statement “announced Iran’s readiness to provide any assistance required in relief and rescue operations”, while expressing “solidarity with the government and people of Venezuela”.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed solidarity with Venezuela after two earthquakes struck the country.

“I sincerely share the grief of those who lost their lives in the two separate earthquakes that struck Venezuela, and I extend my condolences and wishes for a speedy recovery to the friendly people and government of Venezuela, wishing urgent healing to the injured,” he said in a post on X.

Erdoğan added: “As Türkiye, we stand by our Venezuelan friends in these painful and difficult days.”

His message reflects Turkey’s own experience with devastating natural disasters in recent years, particularly the February 2023 earthquakes that hit southern Turkey and northern Syria, killing tens of thousands of people and causing widespread destruction.

Here are some of the latest images from Venezuela this morning:

The UN has urged the Venezuelan government to lift restrictions on websites to help people access information, saying it could be “a matter of life and death”.

The Venezuelan government has blocked independent news sites and communications platforms, particularly during periods of political unrest and contested elections, with digital rights activists arguing that censorship is used as a tool of state control to restrict access to information and limit dissent.

In a statement, the UN fact-finding mission to Venezuela said:

We stand with all Venezuelans at this difficult time. For a country already facing enormous challenges this is a devasting blow.

It is crucial that a full commitment to human rights guide all aspects of the national and international response to this immense tragedy.

As a critical first step, it is vital that CONATEL, the country’s telecommunications regulator, fully unblock access to social media and all media outlets.

In the coming hours and days, access to information will be a matter of life and death. There can be no excuse for failing to do so immediately.”

The EU said it has activated its Copernicus satellite programme to aid Venezuela’s recovery efforts. According to the EU, Copernicus data “can support preparedness and prevention by providing data that helps to identify risks and prevent loss of lives and damages”.

“My condolences to the victims of the earthquake in Venezuela,” Hadja Lahbib, the EU commissioner for humanitarian aid, wrote on X.

“We are following the situation with our field staff and partners there. EU-funded partners are already providing help on the ground, Copernicus is activated & we stand ready to step up assistance.”

The death toll of at least 32 people and injuries of more than 700 does not include victims in the hardest-hit La Guaira area, which lies near the capital Caracas and has been designated a disaster zone, AFP reports.

The coastal city of Catia La Mar in La Guaira state was without electricity, and many people spent the night in the streets or searched for people among the rubble.

“We have nothing, right now we have nothing, not even the strength or the courage to go in there, just imagine,” Larry Rojas, 49, told AFP, standing in front of a collapsed building Catia la Mar where he said his family was trapped.

Germany said it was ready to provide six Airbus A400M transport aircraft to help with relief efforts in Venezuela.

The military aircraft can be available “at short notice as soon as support is requested from us”, the German defence minister, Boris Pistorius, said.

The aircraft and crew already have extensive experience in aid deliveries, having transported relief supplies in Turkey after an earthquake in 2023 and airdropped aid into Gaza in 2024 and 2025, the German defence ministry said.

Also reacting to news of the disaster was Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni, who wrote on X that she was following the situation with “deep concern”.

“I wish to express, on behalf of the government, our deepest sympathy and solidarity with the Venezuelan authorities and the people of Venezuela,” Meloni said.

She added that she was working to “promptly activate every channel of humanitarian aid and assistance to our compatriots”.

China said it was ready to provide all possible help to Venezuela after two earthquakes killed at least 32 people and injured hundreds, AFP reports.

“China is willing to provide what help it can in an appropriate manner according to the needs of the Venezuelan side,” foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a news briefing.

“As of now, there have been no reports of casualties among Chinese citizens,” he added.

The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck shortly after 6pm local time. According to the US Geological Survey, the first earthquake hit west of Morón on the country’s Caribbean coast about 168km (104 miles) west of Caracas, while the second earthquake struck just a minute later about 16km (10 miles) south-west of Morón.

It is approaching 3am in Venezuela, where rescue efforts continue after two powerful earthquakes struck the country in quick succession. Here are some of the latest images from news agencies in the capital, Caracas, and in La Guaira, the area hardest hit by the quakes.

More images can be found here:

US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said in a post on X that the US is “immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela.”

Our hearts are with all those who have lost loved ones, those injured, and the courageous rescue workers working tirelessly in the aftermath.

America stands with the Venezuelan people during this difficult time”.

Strong earthquakes are unusual in Venezuela.

While it sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates makes earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America, AP reports.

Along the Pacific coast – in Mexico and Chile, for example – earthquakes are frequent; the two countries sit along the seismically active tectonic belt known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, responsible for 90% of earthquakes, according to the USGS.

The two earthquakes that hit today were felt in Colombia, which borders the west of Venezuela.

Venezuela’s exiled opposition leader, María Corina Machado, has sent a message of support to her compatriots.

“My heart, my infinite embrace, and my prayers are with every Venezuelan home in these hours of anguish,” she wrote on X. “May strength, serenity, and solidarity prevail among us in the face of this difficult time.”

The lack of a mobile phone signal in parts of Venezuela has deepened the distress of many families, particularly among the more than 7.7 million people who have left the country during its protracted crisis.

Venezuela’s oil infrastructure did not immediately appear to be affected by the quakes, Reuters reports.

Almost none of the cities with official reports of severe damage include critical oil infrastructure, and local authorities near the large oil hub of Lake Maracaibo said no injuries had been reported.

Energy companies ​operating in the country were accounting for staff before making ​initial assessments on the condition of oilfields, plants and refineries, with UK firm Shell confirming its employees were safe.

One source told Reuters that extended loss of power could hit crude output levels until the service is restored.

Offers of aid and support are pouring in for Venezuela.

El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele, who has a strained relationship with Venezuelan leaders, said he had offered aid, in a post to X.

“We send you all our solidarity and our prayers. Stay strong, Venezuela,” he wrote.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said he had ordered the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to help respond to the emergency.

“Ecuador will respond with the speed and commitment this moment demands because, despite our enormous differences, humanity must always guide the actions of a leader,” Noboa wrote.

The US said earlier it would deploy a disaster response team to the region, including aid, resources and search and rescue personnel.

Venezuela has been rattled by more than 20 aftershocks since the first major earthquakes struck at about 6pm Wednesday local time, AFP reported, citing interim leader Delcy Rodriguez.

Residents have reported feeling too nervous to return to their homes, fearing the potential of further shakes.

Eyewitnesses caught in the earthquakes have described their terror as buildings cracked and shook around them and people ran screaming into the streets.

Outside a shopping centre in Caracas, people were in shock.

“The stairs came away, the whole wall cracked. Things fell from the ceiling. It was horrible,” 54-year-old bank employee Odalis Escalona, told AFP.

“We waited for it to pass and then ran down the escalator,” said Zenia Gonzalez, 52, who was comforting a crying teenager. “We had to wait because it was shaking too much. It lasted a long time,” she added.

Panicked screams could be heard as people fled the building.

Nearby, La Castellana resident Maria Romero also fled her apartment in a hurry.

“It was moving a lot and sounded like a deep roar,” the 48-year-old engineer said.

More information is trickling in from officials, reporting collapsed buildings, injuries and missing people, as emergency workers attempt rescue operations under darkness.

Carmen Meléndez, the mayor of Caracas, is in the residential neighbourhood, San Bernardino with Nicolás Maduro’s son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, says Guardian reporter Camille Rodríguez Montilla. They told Montilla they are “out on the street, working”.

The mayor of the Chacao municipality in Caracas, Gustavo Duque, said several buildings ​collapsed, and 18 survivors were extracted from one building alone, Reuters reports.

“We’re going to do ‌everything we can to rescue the most people possible,” he said. He urged onlookers to seek shelter and aid at ‌public plazas because there could be aftershocks.

Twenty-two people were injured in the coastal state of Falcon, and 15 adults were missing, Governor Victor Clark said.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said earlier on state television buildings, homes and houses had collapsed.

“We are taking care of things with everything we have available in terms of security, civil assistance.”

The US will deploy a disaster assistance team to Venezuela, Jeremy Lewin, the US under secretary of state for foreign assistance, has posted to X.

“Working with our partners in the interim Venezuelan government, the U.S. will be ‌sending search and rescue teams, medical and humanitarian supplies and other resources in the crucial first days ​after this tragic natural disaster,” he said.

The US embassy in Caracas, meanwhile, says all US personnel are accounted for.

This video shows how the earthquakes were felt at the JW Marriott hotel in Caracas.

The five-star hotel has become the nerve centre of the US intervention in Venezuela since the 3 January abduction of president Nicolás Maduro.

Since Donald Trump’s invasion, the Marriott has served as the home of the dozens of North American officials, diplomats and spies who now call the shots in Venezuela, a country many believe has become a US protectorate – and which Trump has even said he hopes to turn into the 51st state.

The US is mobilising assistance for Venezuela, a US state department official has told Reuters. There were no details about what form the assistance would take.

Here’s a map to illustrate the epicentre of the earthquakes, in relation to Caracas.

It has just gone 10.15pm in Caracas. As darkness settles over the capital, we have some more photos from the desperate rescue efforts that will continue through the night.

Amid fears over a potentially large number of casualties, Rodríguez called on doctors, nurses and other health workers “to make their way to their work stations”.

Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, is speaking now. We’ll bring you the top lines.

Volunteers, medics and relatives of victims have raced to the Altamira area in Caracas hoping to help save survivors from the rubble of collapsed buildings there.

“I live far away [but] ... I came here riding my motorbike as fast as I could,” said José Morillo, as he arrived outside a block of flats called Residencias Obelisco.

Morillo said several members of his family were inside the building at the time of the two earthquakes, shortly after 6pm local time. “My brother, my son and nephews are all inside. I have faith. I believe in God alot. I hope everyone is OK – but uncertainty is torture,” the 61-year-old added as rescue workers combed the wreckage.

At about 9pm a teenage girl was pulled from the debris and carried into an ambulance. “It’s my niece! It’s my niece!” Morillo could be heard shouting.

Guardian reporter Camille Rodríguez Montilla is outside one of the residential buildings that has collapsed in Altamira, an upmarket area of Caracas, watching rescue workers and volunteers search for survivors.

“It was horrible,” one volunteer, Olky Barrero, a 56-year-old teacher, told her as the search went on. “We hope to God that there are as few victims as possible. We’re praying.

“Where I was, it felt like the walls were going to fall on top of us, they were shaking back and forth, this way and that,” she recalled.

At least two people were carried out of the building on Wednesday evening as night fell although it was unclear if the second was still alive.

At Hospital de Clinicas in Caracas, staff have been asked to double up on the night shift to ⁠help treat the injured, a worker has said. Video filmed at the hospital showed a darkened hallway with ceiling panels hanging by cables ​and pieces of plaster scattered across the floor, Reuters reported.

Here are some images coming in from Caracas, Venezuela.

The mayor of the Chacao district says the earthquakes have caused fatalities but he did not give a figure. Chacao is one of five political and administrative subdivisions of Caracas. We’ll bring you updates as soon as we know more.

Many Venezuelans ‌were at home when the quakes struck because it was a public holiday. Some have spoken about what happened when the earthquakes hit.

“As soon as ‌it started, we began hearing people screaming,” said Astrid Ramirez, a 41-year-old from Caracas. “Everyone was running down the stairs.”

Residents across the capital city evacuated as buildings shook.

“There was a very loud crash. Things fell in the house, jugs inside the refrigerator. I’ve never experienced anything like it,” said Coro Martinez, 56, from eastern Caracas.

Maria Romero, an 80-year-old pensioner in southern Caracas, said police helped her get out of her home. “This earthquake was horrible, even worse than the one in 1967,” she said. Caracas was hit by a deadly magnitude 6.3 earthquake in 1967.

Another resident said she received an earthquake alert on her phone just before the shaking intensified.

“It was a normal afternoon, and suddenly my phone sounded an earthquake alert,” she said. “As I picked it up and started listening to what it was ​saying, I first felt light shaking. Then, in less than two seconds, everything started moving.”