Caracas, June 25 (QNA) – Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez announced that at least 32 people have been killed and more than 700 others have been injured as a result of the two earthquakes that struck the country earlier today.
Venezuelan authorities declared a state of emergency in the country following two powerful earthquakes that struck the capital, Caracas, causing extensive material damage and the closure of Maiquetia International Airport.
The two earthquakes are among the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century, with buildings being evacuated in affected cities and regions as far away as the Brazilian Amazon, about 1,700 kilometers from Caracas.
The earthquakes measured 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale and were followed by about 20 aftershocks. They caused the collapse of a number of buildings in the capital and inflicted serious damage on the infrastructure of the airport.
The earthquakes caused panic among residents of the capital, while residents of areas in neighboring Colombia also felt the tremor. (QNA)