Venezuela death toll feared to rise as twin quakes over magnitude-7 kill 32, injure more than 700

Powerful twin earthquakes that shook Venezuela killed at least 32 people and injured more than 700, interim president Delcy Rodriguez said on Thursday. “At this time, we have received reports of 32 deaths” and “more than 700 injured,” Rodriguez said in an address to the nation, adding she did not yet have data on the “hardest-hit region” of La Guaira, located near the capital. Venezuela’s interim leader had earlier declared a state of emergency as two massive earthquakes caused buildings in the capital to crumble and forced the closure of the country’s main airport. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160km (100 miles) west of Caracas, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). “High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” the USGS said, initially estimating the death toll would most likely range from 10,000 to 100,000. According to the USGS, the 7.5-magnitude earthquake is the strongest in the country in more than a century. The last time Venezuela was hit by a more powerful tremor was Oct 29, 1900, when a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit offshore, “causing extensive damage to churches, public buildings and homes in the city”, the USGS said. Local officials and witnesses reported collapsed buildings, rescues and a growing number of injured. “We have buildings, homes and houses which have collapsed and we are taking care of things with everything we have available in terms of security, civil assistance,” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television. “The fire department, police, all have been activated.” Video footage showed emergency workers climbing through the ruins of a collapsed building in the capital as night fell, while distraught relatives sought help for loved ones believed to be trapped. In Chacao, an eastern Caracas municipality, Mayor Gustavo Duque told broadcaster Globovision that two structures had collapsed, 16 people were injured