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The death toll from twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela has risen to at least 164, with 971 others injured, acting President Delcy Rodriguez said Thursday, as countries around the world, including Türkiye, Russia, Iran and several Asian nations, mobilized rescue teams and offered condolences.
The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes, which struck areas west of Caracas Wednesday evening, were Venezuela's most powerful since 1900, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Rodriguez had earlier reported 32 dead and more than 700 injured before the toll climbed sharply.
USGS has estimated a 42% chance that the death toll could ultimately range between 10,000 and 100,000.
The Turkish Red Crescent said it had contacted the Venezuelan Red Cross following the earthquakes and was prepared to provide support if needed.
"We are ready to meet any humanitarian aid needs of the Venezuelan people," said Turkish Red Crescent President Fatma Meric Yilmaz.
According to a statement from the organization, the Turkish Red Crescent is continuing to monitor developments in coordination with the Venezuelan Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Yilmaz said the organization shared in the pain experienced by the Venezuelan people.
"I extend my wishes for a swift recovery to the people of Venezuela. Our relevant units are in constant contact with the Venezuelan Red Cross. Above all, our specialized disaster response teams are ready to meet any humanitarian aid material needs of the brotherly Venezuelan people," she said.
The Turkish Red Crescent said it was continuing consultations with the Venezuelan Red Cross regarding the deployment of an aid team.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a letter of condolence to Rodriguez, asking her to convey his sympathies to the victims' families and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.
"We express our feelings of solidarity and support to the friendly Venezuelan people during this difficult time," Putin said, according to the Kremlin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Russia would promptly consider any request for assistance from Venezuela.
"Naturally, we're talking about the first hours after this tragedy. The number of victims, apparently, is far higher than the figures currently being reported in the media. Any appeals from our Venezuelan friends will, of course, be promptly addressed," Peskov said, while denying any plans for a phone call between Putin and Rodriguez.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran is ready to provide any assistance required for relief and rescue operations, expressing "solidarity with the government and people of Venezuela."
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he is "deeply saddened" by the destruction.
"On behalf of the people of India, I extend our heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of Venezuela, especially to the families who have lost their loved ones," Modi said on X, adding that India "stands ready to extend all possible assistance."
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he is "deeply saddened" by the loss of life, conveying "heartfelt condolences" on behalf of the Pakistani people and praying for the recovery of the injured.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. extended "heartfelt sympathies" and said the Philippines "stands in solidarity with the Venezuelan people during this difficult time."
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung offered his "deepest condolences" to victims and bereaved families, saying he hoped Venezuelans "may regain your peaceful daily lives as soon as possible."
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim extended "deepest condolences," saying: "Malaysia has every confidence in the courage of Venezuela's rescue workers as they work against time in the days ahead."
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters during a visit to Bahrain, said the United States would mount a "whole-of-government" response.
"So we have a whole-of-government response. It'll be big, it'll be fast, and it'll be effective," he said, adding that the Department of War would play a "big logistical role."
Rubio said it is "too early" to put a dollar figure on the assistance but stressed urgency: "They need search and rescue immediately, you've got to get people out of that rubble within 48 hours, or they won't survive."
He added: "I know the president's made a full commitment to being supportive of Venezuela," and said he believed "Venezuela is going to emerge stronger from it, despite the tragedy it's facing right now."
France announced it would send 85 specialized rescuers "immediately."
French President Emmanuel Macron, after speaking with Rodriguez, said his country "stands ready, alongside its European partners, to provide assistance to the affected populations."
Spain pledged 54 army search personnel.
The Netherlands said it would deploy a rescue team with dogs and equipment, allocating approximately €2 million ($2.2M) for the mission.
Switzerland's foreign ministry said it is mobilizing "the Swiss Rescue Chain, comprised of 80 members, eight rescue dogs and 18 tonnes of rescue equipment," though it noted that with Venezuelan airspace closed to most European airlines, efforts were underway to organize a flight as soon as possible.
Rodriguez said in a televised message that U.N.-certified specialist rescuers were already en route to Venezuela, adding that she had spoken with several heads of state and the U.N. coordinator in the country.
The northern state of La Guaira, facing the Caribbean and home to Caracas's international airport, was the hardest-hit region and has been designated a "disaster area."
The government's official toll does not yet include data from La Guaira.
A tracking website shared online by exiled Venezuelan opposition leaders listed more than 10,000 people as missing as of 5:40 a.m. local time.
In the La Guaira city of Catia La Mar, Yilsmaris Blanco, 39, described the devastation. "It was terrible. Everything, everything collapsed," she told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"We thank God because... we're alive, but there are people right now suffering with their relatives buried, with their relatives crushed, and they can't get them out."
Larry Rojas, 49, stood in front of a collapsed building where his family is trapped. "We have nothing, right now we have nothing, not even the strength or the courage to go in there, just imagine," he said.
Rojas later added: "We don't have water; we're dying of thirst. We go into a structure, and we're afraid it will collapse too. Really, we need someone to help us, to send machinery. That's what we need to get into the buildings that have collapsed."
Jose Pacheco, operations chief of the United Rescue Group of Venezuela, said technical assistance is urgently needed.
"What we need is help, above all, technical help," he said. "The teams that are in Caracas who know what (tools) to use and can come help here in La Guaira, they should come."
Pacheco, who has three decades of experience, said he had never seen anything like the destruction before him, counting around 14 damaged structures nearby.
Antonio Bermudez, 45, described the moment the earthquake struck his home. "I started to move, I looked for shelter under a column. I was between my room and the shower. It shook harder and harder," he recalled.
"I held onto the wall and the building started to come down." He was later found sitting against a wall in the street, trying to adjust a leg injured after a slab fell on it.
The United Nations' Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela expressed "profound dismay" over the earthquakes and urged authorities to "fully restore access to social networks and all media outlets."
The mission said Venezuela's National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) must allow network access "as a priority and immediate measure," stating that "timely access to reliable information and communication channels will be vital for the protection of the lives, safety, and well-being of the population" in the coming hours and days.
More than 200 websites were blocked in Venezuela as of a March update, 65 of them belonging to media outlets, according to VE Sin Filtro, an organization that monitors internet freedom in the country.
The group said the blackout has affected access to social media platforms, including X, Reddit and Signal, as well as censorship circumvention tools like VPNs, though some blockades have been partially and intermittently lifted in recent weeks under Rodriguez.
Separately, Venezuelan state telecommunications provider CANTV said it would offer internet, fixed telephone, and television services free of charge for 48 hours "in response to the contingency situation generated by the recent earthquakes."
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