Venezuela's Rodriguez declares state of emergency following severe earthquakes

Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez on Wednesday declared a state of emergency after strong back-to-back earthquakes and nearly two dozen aftershocks shook the country, collapsing buildings in capital Caracas and elsewhere.

Rodriguez, appearing on state television flanked by her brother Jorge, the head of the national assembly, and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, said she extended her condolences to the families of those killed, but she gave no death toll or number of injured.

Simon Bolivar Airport in Maiquetia, near Caracas, is closed because of damage, she added.

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160 km (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.

Authorities did not immediately provide a national toll for deaths or injuries, but 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 and there were deaths, though he gave no figure for fatalities. — Reuters