CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Powerful back-to-back earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening killed at least 32 people and injured at least 700, the nation’s acting president said, as communities across the South American country sustained damage.Acting President Delcy Rodríguez warned the toll was expected to rise as rescuers search collapsed buildings and emergency crews reach devastated areas after the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck shortly after 6 p.m.Rodríguez declared a state of emergency in an address to the nation late Wednesday and said the quakes caused damage in several states. The casualty figures released early Thursday excluded the state of La Guaira, which Rodríguez described as a “disaster zone” and the area hardest hit. “Dozens of buildings have collapsed there, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Caracas, and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,” she said.
The earthquakes, among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century, roiled the region, with buildings evacuated in cities and areas impacted as far as Brazil’s Amazon about 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) from Venezuela’s capital Caracas.
