The death toll from the double earthquake in Venezuela increased to 164

The data was announced by interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez today, when updating information related to the double earthquake that occurred a day earlier. About 30 aftershocks were recorded after the two earthquakes, forcing the international airport near the capital Caracas to close due to serious damage and the risk of affecting relief efforts.

Ms. Rodriguez said the US and some European countries are deploying rescue forces to Venezuela. UN-certified experts also left for the South American country to assist in the search for survivors.

Several countries, including Vietnam, India, Brazil, China and Iran, have also offered help.

The 7.2 magnitude earthquake occurred about 160 km west of Venezuela’s capital Caracas on the evening of June 24, with the epicenter at a depth of 22 km. Less than a minute later, a second magnitude 7.5 event occurred a few kilometers away with the epicenter at a depth of 10 kilometers. This is the strongest earthquake in Venezuela since 1900.

Officials initially reported at least 32 deaths and more than 700 injuries, but this number did not include victims in the coastal state of La Guaira, the area most severely damaged.

“We have nothing, we don’t even have the strength or courage to go in there,” Larry Rojas, a 49-year-old resident, said outside a collapsed building in the coastal city of Catia La Mar in La Guaira state. The Rojas family is trapped inside this building.

Catia La Mar city lost power after the earthquake, many residents had to sleep on the streets or search for relatives through the night. Many residential areas in La Guaira have had large cracks and collapsed walls, while dozens of buildings have been destroyed.

“There were people alive in there and no one came to save them,” one woman said. This person is waiting for news about his daughter buried in the rubble of a 12-story building.

Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello urged people to leave their homes, adding that gas supplies to some projects had been cut off as a precaution. “There were some structures damaged and we don’t want any gas-related accidents to happen,” he said.

The double earthquake in Venezuela also affected Colombia’s capital Bogota, causing sirens to sound and some residents to evacuate buildings.

Venezuela is a country prone to earthquakes. The strongest earthquakes recently recorded in the country occurred in the northeast region in 1997 and the capital Caracas in 1967, killing 73 people and 236 people, respectively.