News Desk - A series of powerful, back-to-back earthquakes struck Venezuela late on June 24, killing at least 164 people and injuring 971, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said as rescue teams raced to reach people trapped under rubble. The tremors, among the strongest to hit the country in more than a century, were felt across the region and prompted swift offers of international assistance.

Two powerful back-to-back earthquakes struck northern Venezuela on Wednesday evening, killing at least 164 people and injuring 971, according to Acting President Delcy Rodríguez. The U.S. Geological Survey said the disaster was a “doublet” sequence: a magnitude 7.2 foreshock hit first, followed 39 seconds later by a stronger magnitude 7.5 quake, with shaking felt across Caracas, La Guaira, Aragua, Carabobo and parts of neighbouring Colombia. The tremors caused buildings to collapse in the capital and nearby cities, split roads, damaged power infrastructure and forced the temporary shutdown of Caracas’s main airport, while residents rushed into the streets as sirens sounded and debris fell. Authorities said more than 20 aftershocks had been recorded, later rising to around 30, worsening fears of further collapses in already weakened structures.

Rescue teams, firefighters, civil protection units and military personnel were mobilised to search through rubble, free trapped residents and treat the injured, as hospitals came under intense strain. Rodríguez also announced a state of emergency and said the government would set up an initial $200 million reconstruction fund to repair infrastructure, hospitals and housing. International assistance began arriving quickly, with the United States saying it would send search-and-rescue teams and humanitarian support, while President Donald Trump said the U.S. was “ready, willing, and able to help”. Mexico, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Qatar, Argentina, Chile, Panama, Bolivia, Uruguay, Spain, Brazil and several other countries also offered rescuers, medical teams, emergency supplies or solidarity as Venezuela grappled with the scale of the disaster.

As rescue efforts continue and the full scale of the destruction becomes clearer, Venezuelan authorities have called for calm and international solidarity, while nations around the world maintain offers of aid and technical support to help the country recover from one of its deadliest seismic events in decades.