Venezuela death toll rises as rescuers search for quake survivors

Staff Reporter

RESCUE teams are racing against time to find survivors after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela, killing at least 235 people, trapping hundreds beneath collapsed buildings and leaving thousands homeless as international aid begins arriving.

The twin earthquakes, measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, struck less than a minute apart on Wednesday evening, with the stronger tremor becoming the country’s most powerful earthquake in more than a century, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The worst-hit areas include the capital, Caracas, the neighbouring coastal state of La Guaira and parts of Carabobo state, where widespread destruction has been reported. More than 250 buildings were damaged or destroyed, while at least eight hospitals, the headquarters of the Venezuelan Red Cross and the French embassy sustained significant damage.