At least 32 people have been killed and 700 have been injured after powerful back-to-back earthquakes struck Venezuela, acting-President Delcy Rodríguez said in an update.
The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes rocked the country on Wednesday evening, with buildings evacuated in cities as far away as Brazil’s Amazon, about 1,700 kilometres from the Venezuelan capital Caracas.
In a brief address to the nation late on Wednesday, Rodríguez said the earthquakes caused damages in several states.
The quakes damaged the country’s main airport, Simón Bolívar International, severely enough leading to its closure, she said, adding that school was being cancelled for several days to deal with the crisis at hand.
“We urge our population to remain calm,” Rodríguez added. “We urge unity.”
