Two major earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening within less than a minute of each other, killing at least 32 people and injuring more than 700. The stronger of the two, registering a magnitude of 7.5, was the largest to hit the country in over 125 years, according to the US Geological Survey.

The epicentre was near San Felipe, a city of around 220,000 people in Yaracuy state, west of Caracas. La Guaira bore the worst of the structural damage, with dozens of buildings collapsing across the coastal state. The death toll announced by President Delcy Rodríguez in a televised address did not yet include casualties from La Guaira, meaning the confirmed figures are likely to rise significantly.

In Caracas, a six-storey residential building collapsed in the El Paraíso neighbourhood, where rescuers worked through the night calling out names of missing residents and ordering bystanders to stay silent. Power outages darkened western districts of the capital, subway and train services were suspended, streets in several areas flooded after water mains burst, and Simón Bolívar International Airport was closed after sustaining heavy damage. American Airlines, which operates two daily services between Miami and Caracas, suspended operations at the airport.

Residents close to the epicentre described shaking that lasted between 60 and 90 seconds. In San Felipe, people poured into the streets screaming; some said they planned to sleep outdoors rather than return to their homes. In Valencia and Naguanagua, further east, residents described immediate power cuts, cars rocking on the road, and a paralysing fear that the tremors would not stop.

The USGS classified the 7.2-magnitude event as a foreshock and the 7.5 as the main shock. Venezuela lies on the boundary between the South American and Caribbean tectonic plates, making the region seismically active. By early Thursday, at least two smaller aftershocks had been recorded near Caracas, and the USGS put the probability of a magnitude 5.0 or greater aftershock within the following week at 94 per cent.

Rodríguez declared a state of emergency and called on doctors and nurses to report to work. Hotels and emergency shelters were opened for those whose homes were destroyed or rendered unsafe, and residents were urged to log missing persons through a government platform ordinarily used for utility outages. Domestic gas supplies were cut in the affected areas as a precautionary measure.

The international response was swift. President Trump said he had instructed all relevant US agencies to prepare to move quickly, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the immediate deployment of search and rescue teams, medical personnel and humanitarian supplies. El Salvador said 300 rescue workers and paramedics were ready to depart; the Dominican Republic dispatched military search and rescue units overnight. Spain, Chile, Argentina, Panama, Ecuador, Brazil, India, China and Qatar also offered assistance. Germany said it had up to six Airbus A400M military transport aircraft on standby, ready to carry relief supplies or be configured for medical evacuations as soon as a formal request was received.

Aid organisations warned that delivery of assistance would not be straightforward. Venezuela's health system has faced severe resource constraints for years, and the combination of road closures, power outages and disrupted communications created immediate logistical obstacles. The USGS noted that many buildings in the affected areas were constructed from unreinforced brick masonry and adobe block, materials with poor seismic resilience.

The disaster arrived at a politically sensitive moment. In January, US forces captured former president Nicolás Maduro, and his successor Rodríguez is now coordinating the earthquake response directly with Washington, a relationship that would have been unthinkable during the Maduro era given Venezuela's former closeness to Cuba, Iran and Russia.

The quakes struck on a national holiday marking a battle from 1821 that formed part of Venezuela's path to independence from Spain. Schools were closed and many people were at home when the tremors hit. Internet connectivity dropped from above 90 per cent to around 65 per cent in the immediate aftermath. As of Thursday morning, the full scale of the casualties and structural damage remained unknown.