Trump pledges swift US aid after deadly earthquakes strike Venezuela
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday, that The United States is "immediately deploying" rescuers and aid to Venezuela after the country was hit by two massive earthquakes that killed at least 32 people
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Powerful twin earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday, killing at least 32 people and injuring more than 700 others, according to interim President Delcy Rodriguez, as rescue teams continued searching for survivors beneath collapsed buildings.
In a national address early Thursday, Rodriguez said authorities had confirmed 32 deaths and more than 700 injuries but warned that the toll could rise as information continues to emerge from the hardest-hit areas, particularly La Guaira state near the capital, Caracas.
The government declared a state of emergency following the disaster, which caused extensive damage to infrastructure and residential buildings across several regions of the country.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquakes measured magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 and struck the same region within 39 seconds of each other.
International reactions quickly followed. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed condolences and offered assistance, saying the United States was prepared to help Venezuela respond to the crisis.
"The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths," the U.S. president wrote on his Truth Social platform. "The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help."
US President Donald Trump said late Wednesday that the United States stood "ready, willing, and able to help" Venezuela after the South American nation was hit by two powerful earthquakes.
"The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
"The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good!!!"
And also, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday, that The United States is "immediately deploying" rescuers and aid to Venezuela after the country was hit by two massive earthquakes that killed at least 32 people.
"America stands with the Venezuelan people during this difficult time and at the direction of President Trump, the State Department is immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela," Rubio wrote on X.
The first quake occurred at 22:04 GMT, approximately 21 kilometers west of the coastal town of Moron, followed less than a minute later by the stronger 7.5-magnitude earthquake about 45 kilometers away.
USGS described the event as a rare seismic "doublet," explaining that the second, stronger earthquake was preceded by a 7.2-magnitude foreshock.
The tremors struck at depths of 22 kilometers and 10 kilometers, respectively.
Authorities reported that the quakes affected the Capital District and the states of Yaracuy, Lara, Mérida, Aragua, Carabobo, La Guaira, Miranda, and several other regions.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Trujillo, Carabobo, Miranda, and La Guaira were among the areas most severely impacted.
Rescue workers, security forces, and volunteers have been deployed nationwide to assess structural damage and search for survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
In Caracas, an AFP journalist witnessed the complete collapse of a 22-story residential building in the Altamira district, where relatives desperately called out the names of missing loved ones while volunteers climbed through piles of rubble.
"We need flashlights," one rescuer shouted during the search operation.
Rodriguez said at least 20 aftershocks had been recorded following the twin earthquakes, raising concerns about further structural collapses.
Preliminary government assessments indicate that numerous buildings remain at risk of collapse due to severe damage.
As a precaution, authorities activated emergency protocols, sending civil protection teams and firefighters to inspect affected structures and determine whether they remain safe for occupancy.
The Venezuelan government also ordered the temporary suspension of direct gas services to several residential and commercial buildings to reduce the risk of leaks and fires while engineers evaluate damaged properties.
Cabello urged residents to remain calm and avoid entering damaged structures until safety inspections are completed.
The earthquakes triggered scenes of panic across Caracas, where residents rushed into the streets as buildings shook violently.
"The stairs came away, the whole wall cracked. Things fell from the ceiling. It was horrible," said Odalis Escalona, a 54-year-old bank employee to AFP.
"It was unbelievable. I don't even know how long it lasted," a shopkeeper Heidi Romero told AFP, who was on the top floor of a building when the quake struck. "We went out through the emergency stairs; that's how they got us out."
Another resident, 69-year-old Carmen Guedez, said to AFP that she was caring for her bedridden sister when the shaking began.
"It kept getting stronger. I started to see the windows begin to move and then everything shook," she said. "We couldn't get out. The neighbors are still out on the street."
The disaster also disrupted transportation infrastructure. Rodriguez confirmed that Maiquetia International Airport near Caracas was temporarily closed after suffering what she described as "serious damage" to its facilities.
The tremors were felt beyond Venezuela's borders, including in neighboring Colombia, where emergency agencies received more than 200 reports from residents who experienced the shaking.
Colombian authorities ruled out any tsunami threat, a position later echoed by the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center.
Despite concerns following the powerful quakes, officials confirmed that no tsunami danger exists.
The earthquakes rank among the deadliest natural disasters to hit Venezuela in recent decades. The country's most destructive recent earthquake occurred in Caracas in 1967, when 236 people were killed, while a 1997 earthquake in northeastern Venezuela claimed 73 lives.
Search-and-rescue operations remain ongoing as authorities continue to assess the full scale of the disaster and work to locate survivors.