Large pile of rubble from a collapsed building with several dust-covered parked cars nearby following an earthquake in Los Corales.
Iran says ready to assist Venezuela with quake relief operations
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
Iran said Thursday it was ready to help with rescue and relief operations after Venezuela was struck by its strongest earthquake in more than a century.
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a statement "announced Iran's readiness to provide any assistance required in relief and rescue operations", while expressing "solidarity with the government and people of Venezuela".
Desperate Venezuelans battled Thursday to rescue loved ones trapped alive beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings after two major earthquakes that killed at least 188 people.
Buildings cracked, crumbled, and tilted precariously after the quakes, which the United States Geological Survey measured at magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, hit northern Venezuela within less than a minute of each other on Wednesday night.
Powerful aftershocks could still be felt Thursday as National Assembly chief Jorge Rodriguez said the death toll had risen to 188, with 1,520 injured.
Rescue efforts moved slowly, with bodies still visible under debris hours after the quakes, while time ran out for some of those who were trapped and injured.
A rescue worker, speaking off the record, told AFP conditions were precarious, with a shortage of trained personal and significant technical limitations.
Interim president Delcy Rodriguez visited La Guaira on Thursday after the area was declared a "disaster zone."
Venezuela's director of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Nicole Kast, described the situation as "catastrophic."
Offers of support poured in from around the world, with Switzerland, Spain, France, Portugal and Mexico among those sending specialists and rescue teams to Venezuela.
China, India, and Brazil also offered help, while Pope Leo XIV has sent an initial 100,000 euros in aid to the country.
The United States said it was mobilizing $150 million in aid.
"We have a whole-of-government response. It'll be big, it'll be fast, and it'll be effective," said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Washington is closely involved in oil-rich Venezuela after US forces ousted and abducted president Nicolas Maduro in January.
