A rare double earthquake ravaged Venezuela on Wednesday, killing at least 188 people and leaving more than 200 trapped. Many more are feared dead.
Thousands of people have been reported missing and about 1,500 people have been injured. Some of the heaviest damage and casualties were in La Guaira, a coastal region north of the capital, Caracas.
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Here’s what to know about the earthquakes and the search for survivors:
Two earthquakes in less than one minute
The powerful 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck 39 seconds apart along the San Sebastian fault on Venezuela’s northern coast, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
They were among the strongest in the South American nation in more than a century.
The first earthquake, a 7.2-magnitude foreshock, hit west of Morón on the Caribbean coast, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) west of Caracas, with a depth of 22 kilometers (about 14 miles).
The second, a 7.5-magnitude mainshock, was centered 16 kilometers (10 miles) southwest of Morón, with a depth of 10 kilometers (about 6 miles).
The back-to-back earthquakes — known as a doublet because of their similarities in magnitude, time and proximity — resulted from shallow strike-slip faulting near the complex plate boundary between the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Many people are dead, injured or missing
The death toll in Venezuela is likely to climb as rescue crews comb through buildings toppled by the earthquake.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said authorities have deployed rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira, where dozens of buildings have collapsed.
The city, about 165 kilometers (103 miles) east of the 7.5-magnitude quake’s epicenter, is a “disaster zone,” she said.
Civilians and authorities pulled survivors out of concrete rubble, some of them covered in dust and blood. Families sobbed in front of destroyed homes.
Families began posting missing-person flyers with photos of loved ones, while others shared handwritten lists of names as they searched for those still unaccounted for.
Significant damage in Caracas and beyond
The earthquake destroyed buildings in Caracas and led to evacuation as far away as Brazil’s Amazon, about 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) away.
In downtown Caracas, hundreds of people spent the night huddled in parks, parking lots and other open spaces.
Parts of the city lost power and cellphone service. Venezuela’s main airport in Caracas was damaged and closed, subway service was suspended and natural gas was shut off.
Classes will also be canceled for several days as schools are used as shelters and donation centers.
Rodríguez said the government was creating a $200 million reconstruction fund for hospitals and homes damaged by the earthquakes.
Another challenge for Venezuela’s leader
The earthquakes are yet another crisis for Rodríguez, the former vice president who took office in January after the U.S. captured former President Nicolás Maduro.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are jailed in New York City while awaiting trial on drug trafficking charges.
Rodríguez inherited a country that has been in economic turmoil for more than a decade.
Many Venezuelans reject the legitimacy of her political movement, while some loyalists have criticized her leadership and warming relationship with the U.S.
Help from other nations and Venezuelans abroad
The U.S. said Thursday it is sending two specialized urban search and rescue teams to Venezuela and will provide $150 million in assistance through nongovernmental organizations and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The United Nations said Thursday that international search and rescue teams are expected to start arriving “in the coming hours.”
Other countries sending aid to Venezuela include Qatar and Mexico.
Venezuelans in the U.S. are rushing to organize donation drives. More than 770,000 Venezuelans live in the U.S., with large communities in Florida, Texas and Utah.
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