‘10,000’ people feared dead after back-to-back earthquakes as Donald Trump speaks out
A significant amount of people are feared missing or dead after two devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela overnight, as one journalist said it was 'the strongest quake I’ve ever felt in my life'.
The capital, Caracas, was hit by two strong earthquakes within a minute of each other, the first registering a magnitude 7.2 and the second 7.5 on the richter scale.
So far, at least 32 people have been confirmed to have died in the natural disaster, with more expected to follow. Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez has since declared a state of national emergency.
Hundreds have been injured after buildings collapsed in the earthquakes, with rescue teams expected to discover several more bodies in the coming days.
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The US Geological Survey calculated that there is a 44 percent chance of more than 10,000 fatalities, and a 30 percent chance of more than 100,000, in what would be one of the deadliest natural disasters in history.
Donald Trump, who of course captured the Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a military operation back in January, has taken to Truth Social to offer the United States' help following the disaster.
He wrote: "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 U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help!
"I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good!!! President DJT."
Venezuelan officials have so far only offered an estimate on the death toll but there are fears that it could be extremely high.
“It’s the strongest quake I’ve ever felt in my life,” journalist and BBC Mundo contributor Nicole Kolster says.
"I saw the windows moving and the only thing I could think to do was to get between the front door and a stone wall, which in my judgment is quite strong, to try to protect myself.
"I thought the building was going to fall on top of me", she recalled.
The US Geological Survey has suggested that shifting tectonic plates might well have been to blame for the second, more powerful earthquake.
It seems as if the faults between the two plates moved horizontally, with earthquakes commonly occurring when this happens too quickly.
"While commonly plotted as points on maps, earthquakes of this size are more appropriately described as slip over a larger fault area," USGS reports.
Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, has also suggested that the US is 'immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources and humanitarian assistance'.
In a post on X, Rubio said: "Our hearts are with all those who have lost loved ones, those injured, and the courageous rescue workers working tirelessly in the aftermath."
James Moorhouse