Horrific news out of South America, via the AP:
At least 164 people have died and 971 were injured after a pair of powerful quakes rocked Venezuela, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said Thursday.
This does not include the total figures from La Guaira, a coastal region that was hit particularly hard.
Over ten thousand people remain missing, and a report by the United States Geological Survey has estimated a 33% probability of between 1,000 and 10,000 deaths and 42% probability of 10,000 to 100,000 deaths.
Wednesday evening's 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century and could be felt throughout the region. Buildings were evacuated in places as far away as Brazil's Amazon, about 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) from Venezuela's capital, Caracas.
UN-approved rescue teams have been dispatched to the country, while Rodríguez "appealed to the private sector to make heavy construction equipment available for rescue operations."
USGIS mapping shows the two gargantuan quakes near San Felipe, with smaller shakes near Caracas:
Footage from the disaster is harrowing and heartbreaking:
As the AP reports, Venezuela "sits near multiple fault lines," though its position "straddling the South American and Caribbean plates makes strong earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America."
These fisherman filmed buildings and hillsides collapsing along the coastline:
This is reportedly the strongest quake felt there in a century, and it happened the same day as another earthquake in Japan - an extremely rare occurrence. Thousands of people could be trapped under fallen buildings, including high-rise towers.
El Salvador has offered to send 300 rescuers/paramedics. Mexico is preparing teams and aid. Qatar has already mobilized rescue teams, according to reports.
Israel has also offered search-and-rescue units. Spain has offered its Military Emergencies Unit. Germany has offered up to six A400M planes.
Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Colombia have also offered support.
Then there's the U.S., which is currently deploying rescue teams at the direction of the president. 👇
Pray for those trapped under the rubble to be found quickly.
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