Venezuela earthquake live: state of emergency declared after officials warn of widespread damage and high casualties

At least 32 killed and 700 injured in quakes – Rodríguez Venezuela’s interim president has reportedly said the twin earthquakes killed at least 32 people and injured 700. Delcy Rodríguez also said rescuers from others countries were arriving in Venezuela over the coming hours. She thanked Donald Trump for his offer to help the country in the wake of the quakes. Rodríguez earlier declared a state of emergency after the back-to-back earthquakes collapsed buildings in the capital and prompted the closure of Venezuela’s main airport. Venezuela’s oil infrastructure did not immediately appear to be affected by the quakes, Reuters reports. Almost none of the cities with official reports of severe damage include critical oil infrastructure, and local authorities near the large oil hub of Lake Maracaibo said no injuries had been reported. Energy companies operating in the country were accounting for staff before making initial assessments on the condition of oilfields, plants and refineries, with UK firm Shell confirming its employees were safe. One source told Reuters that extended loss of power could hit crude output levels until the service is restored. At least four people in and around Caracas have died following the earthquakes, Reuters reports. Three people were killed in the Baruta district in Caracas after two buildings collapsed, the district mayor said on social media. One person was killed and four buildings had completely collapsed, Gustavo Duque, the mayor of Chacao district in Caracas told journalists. Twenty-two people had been moved to hospital. Earlier, Governor Victor Clark for the coastal state of Falcon, said 22 people were injured and 15 adults were missing in the area. A national count for deaths or injuries has not yet been reported. Offers of aid and support are pouring in for Venezuela. El Salvador’s presidentNayibBukele, who has a strained relationship with Venezuelan leaders, said he had offered aid, in a post to X. “We send you all our solidarity and our prayers. Stay strong, Venezuela,” he wrote. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said he had ordered the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to help respond to the emergency. “Ecuador will respond with the speed and commitment this moment demands because, despite our enormous differences, humanity must always guide the actions of a leader,” Noboa wrote. The US said earlier it would deploy a disaster response team to the region, including aid, resources and search and rescue personnel. Trump says "devastating number of deaths" in Venezuela US president Donald Trump has said the early reports coming out of Venezuela are “not good” and thetwo earthquakes have “left a devastating number of deaths”, in a post on Truth Social. 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 US was ready, willing and able to help Venezuela, Trump added. We will be there for our new and great friends. There have not yet been any official reports on the number of casualties in Venezuela, and Trump did not cite any figures. Venezuela has been rattled by more than 20 aftershocks since the first major earthquakes struck at about 6pm Wednesday local time, AFP reported, citing interim leader Delcy Rodriguez. Residents have reported feeling too nervous to return to their homes, fearing the potential of further shakes. Eyewitnesses caught in the earthquakes have described their terror as buildings cracked and shook around them and people ran screaming into the streets. Outside a shopping centre in Caracas, people were in shock. “The stairs came away, the whole wall cracked. Things fell from the ceiling. It was horrible,” 54-year-old bank employee Odalis Escalona, told AFP. “We waited for it to pass and then ran down the escalator,” said Zenia Gonzalez, 52, who was comforting a crying teenager. “We had to wait because it was shaking too much. It lasted a long time,” she added. Panicked screams could be heard as people fled the building. Nearby, La Castellana resident Maria Romero also fled her apartment in a hurry. “It was moving a lot and sounded like a deep roar,” the 48-year-old engineer said. More information is trickling in from officials, reporting collapsed buildings, injuries and missing people, as emergency workers attempt rescue operations under darkness. Carmen Meléndez, the mayor of Caracas, is in the residential neighbourhood, San Bernardino with Nicolás Maduro’s son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, says Guardian reporter Camille Rodríguez Montilla. They told Montilla they are “out on the street, working”. The mayor of the Chacao municipality in Caracas, Gustavo Duque, said several buildings collapsed, and 18 survivors were extracted from one building alone, Reuters reports. “We’re going to do everything we can to rescue the most people possible,” he said. He urged onlookers to seek shelter and aid at public plazas because there could be aftershocks. Twenty-two people were injured in the coastal state of Falcon, and 15 adults were missing, Governor Victor Clark said. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said earlier on state television buildings, homes and houses had collapsed. “We are taking care of things with everything we have available in terms of security, civil assistance.” The US will deploy a disaster assistance team to Venezuela, Jeremy Lewin, the US under secretary of state for foreign assistance, has posted to X. “Working with our partners in the interim Venezuelan government, the U.S. will be sending search and rescue teams, medical and humanitarian supplies and other resources in the crucial first days after this tragic natural disaster,” he said. The US embassy in Caracas, meanwhile, says all US personnel are accounted for. Since Donald Trump’s invasion, the Marriott has served as the home of the dozens of North American officials, diplomats and spies who now call the shots in Venezuela, a country many believe has become a US protectorate – and which Trump has even said he hopes to turn into the 51st state. The US is mobilising assistance for Venezuela, a US state department official has told Reuters. There were no details about what form the assistance would take. It has just gone 10.15pm in Caracas. As darkness settles over the capital, we have some more photos from the desperate rescue efforts that will continue through the night. Amid fears over a potentially large number of casualties, Rodríguez called on doctors, nurses and other health workers “to make their way to their work stations”. Worst affected: Caracas, Miranda, La Guaira, Aragua, Carabobo and Falcón Tom Phillips Rodríguez has placed Gen Juan Ernesto Sulbarán Quintero, the head of the Bolivarian National Guard gendarmerie, in charge of the military earthquake response. Rodríguez said that besides the capital, Caracas, the worst affected regions were the states of Miranda, La Guaira, Aragua, Carabobo and Falcón. State of emergency declared, damaged Caracas airport closed Tom Phillips Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, has announced a state of emergency. “We ask the population to remain calm and united,” she said on state TV. Rodríguez said the country’s main airport had been closed after suffering “severe damage” and announced that the metro and train systems had been halted. “We send our immediate condolences to those who have lost relatives,” Rodríguez added, although she did not say how many casualties or fatalities there had been. Rodríguez urged citizens to evacuate damaged buildings.