VENEZUELA QUAKE DISASTER

You might be reading this with your feet on the ground, but for millions in Venezuela, the ground beneath them has literally come crashing down. Two massive earthquakes struck the country's capital, Caracas, on Wednesday, killing at least 32 people and injuring over 700.

The quakes, which measured 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, were the strongest to hit the country in recent years. The first quake hit at 2204 GMT, and was followed just 39 seconds later by a 7.5 magnitude mainshock, which was preceded by a 7.2 foreshock.

According to Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, the hardest-hit states were Trujillo, Carabobo, Miranda, and La Guaira. 'We have some damaged structures, and we don't want any kind of accident involving gas to occur,' he said.

As rescue workers comb through the rubble, many survivors are emerging with harrowing tales of the disaster. 'The stairs came away, the whole wall cracked. Things fell from the ceiling. It was horrible,' said 54-year-old bank employee Odalis Escalona.

### PEOPLE SHARE THEIR TERRIFYING EXPERIENCES

One woman, 42-year-old shopkeeper Heidi Romero, was on the top floor of a shopping center when the quake struck. 'It was unbelievable, I don't even know how long it lasted,' she said. 'We went out through the emergency stairs; that's how they got us out.'

Another survivor, Carmen Guedez, 69, was in the same room as her bedridden sister when the quake hit. 'It kept getting stronger,' she said. 'I started to see the windows begin to move and then everything shook. We couldn't get out. The neighbors are still out on the street.'

### RESCUE WORKERS WORK THROUGH THE NIGHT

Rescue workers are racing against time to find survivors trapped under the rubble. An AFP journalist saw a 22-story building completely destroyed in the capital's Altamira neighborhood, where people cried out relatives' names as volunteers climbed over the rubble.

'At this time, we have received reports of 32 deaths' and 'more than 700 injured,' said interim President Delcy Rodriguez in a statement. 'We are working tirelessly to provide aid and support to those affected.'

### AFTERSHOCKS AND PANIC IN THE REGION

The quake was felt as far away as the Colombian capital of Bogota, where alarms sounded, and some residents evacuated buildings as a precaution. Freddy Tovar, coordinator of Colombia's National Seismological Network, said they had received more than 200 reports of tremors nationwide.

The Colombian disaster management agency UNGRD ruled out the possibility of a tsunami taking place in the aftermath. 'NO tsunami, NO danger from a recent earthquake,' the US National Tsunami Warning Center said in an X post.

### US PRESIDENT OFFERS SUPPORT

US President Donald Trump has offered support to Venezuela in the wake of the disaster. 'The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths,' he said on his Truth Social platform.

'The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly.'