CARACAS - Desperate Venezuelans raced to find and rescue loved ones trapped alive beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings after two major earthquakes that killed at least 235 people.
Buildings cracked, crumbled, and tilted precariously after the quakes, which the United States Geological Survey measured at magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, hit northern Venezuela within less than a minute of each other on Wednesday night.
Powerful aftershocks could still be felt Thursday, and Health Minister Carlos Alvarado reported the death toll had risen from 188 to at least 235.
More than 1,500 people were injured as the earth shook and roared in what many Venezuelans called a terrifying display of nature's raw power.
Rescue efforts moved slowly, with bodies still visible under debris hours after the quakes, while time ran out for some of those who were trapped and injured.
A doctor at the Domingo Luciani Hospital in the city, speaking on condition of anonymity, said children were arriving in ambulances alone after being pulled out of the rubble.
"Some children provide their names, while others arrive with identification tape on their arms," he said.
A rescue worker, speaking off the record, told AFP conditions were precarious, with a shortage of trained personal and significant technical limitations.
Interim president Delcy Rodriguez visited La Guaira on Thursday after the area was declared a "disaster zone."
AFP reporters witnessed residents looting a local supermarket in the city.
Venezuela's director of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Nicole Kast, described the situation as catastrophic.
Offers of support poured in from around the world, with Switzerland, Spain, France, Portugal and Mexico among those sending specialists and rescue teams to Venezuela.
The United States said it was deploying two warships, transport planes and helicopters as well as mobilizing $150 million in aid.
"We have a whole-of-government response. It'll be big, it'll be fast, and it'll be effective," said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Washington is closely involved in oil-rich Venezuela after US forces ousted and arrested president Nicolas Maduro in January.
China, India, Brazil and even war-battered Iran offered help, while Pope Leo XIV has sent an initial 100,000 euros in aid to the country.
UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply saddened" by the disaster as the global body vowed to assist Venezuela.
- AFP