A major search-and-rescue operation is under way after the quakes caused widespread damage especially in the capital Caracas.
Emergency crews are searching through the rubble of collapsed buildings, while authorities closed the country’s main airport in Caracas, suspended classes and mobilized health workers to respond to the disaster.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) warned that “high casualties and extensive damage are probable” and US President Donald Trump said the quakes – one of the strongest in more than a century – have left “a devastating number of deaths”.
Venezuela was struck by two powerful earthquakes at about 6:04pm local time (22:04 GMT) on Wednesday, while the country was marking the national holiday commemorating the 1821 Battle of Carabobo.
The government declared a state of emergency as emergency crews responded to widespread damage. In a televised address, Acting President Delcy Rodriguez urged doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers to report immediately to hospitals and clinics to help treat the injured, Al Jazeera reported.
Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez has said at least 32 people have been killed and about 700 injured in the quakes followed by nearly two dozen aftershocks.
Authorities have not yet released a breakdown of the victims by age, gender or location, and officials say the figures are expected to rise as search-and-rescue operations continue.
The USGS has warned that the final death toll could rise significantly because many buildings in the affected region are made from reinforced masonry and adobe, which are particularly vulnerable during strong earthquakes.
Its latest PAGER assessment estimates a 39 percent probability that fatalities could reach between 1,000 and 10,000, and a 37 percent probability of between 10,000 and 100,000 deaths. These are statistical estimates designed to support emergency planning and are not confirmed casualty figures.
The twin earthquakes originated in Yaracuy state, west of Caracas according to the US Geological Survey. The first, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake, struck at a depth of 22km, followed less than a minute later by an even larger 7.5 quake at a depth of about 10km.
Although the epicenters were outside the capital, the shaking was felt across Caracas and much of central and western Venezuela, including the states of Carabobo, Miranda, La Guaira and Trujillo. Tremors were also reported in neighboring Colombia and as far away as Brazil’s Amazon region, more than 1,700km (1,050 miles) from Caracas.