Death toll from Venezuela's massive twin quakes jumps to 164, nearly 1,000 injured: president

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The death toll from Venezuela’s devastating earthquakes has risen to at least 164, with 971 people injured, interim president Delcy Rodriguez said on Thursday.

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160km (100 miles) west of Caracas at around 6pm on Wednesday (local time), followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Venezuela’s strongest earthquake since 1900 sent rescuers and locals clambering in the dark over flattened buildings, hunting for survivors and extracting people from under the ruins.

Around 30 aftershocks have been recorded following the two strongest quakes, according to Rodriguez. She described La Guaira, located near the capital, as the “hardest-hit region”.