Trump Pledges to Help Venezuela After Twin Earthquakes

President Donald Trump says his administration is “ready, willing, and able” to provide assistance to Venezuela following two major earthquakes that struck on Wednesday evening, killing dozens of people.

“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,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “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. We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good!!!”

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which issued a “red alert,” said the first earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.2, hit west of Moron on the Caribbean coast at a depth of about 14 miles. Less than a minute later, USGS reported a second 7.5 magnitude earthquake, with a depth of about 6 miles and an epicenter 10 miles southwest of Moron.

In a statement on its website, the USGS wrote that it “assesses that high casualties and damage are probable, and that the disaster is likely widespread.” At the same time, aftershocks from the tremors are likely to follow.

The USGS added in a separate area on its website that it sent a “red alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses,” noting that “high casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread.”

“Past red alerts have required a national or international response,” it said.

Offering one reason for a potential mass casualty situation, the USGS noted that people in Venezuela live in vulnerable structures and that “the predominant vulnerable building types are unreinforced brick masonry and adobe block construction.”

The quakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century and could be felt throughout the South American continent, including in places as far away as Brazil’s Amazon region. Venezuela’s main airport in Caracas was also damaged by the quake.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who gave the latest death toll of 164 early on Thursday, said authorities were shifting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira, which sits north of Caracas on the coast. Officials were trying to make the most of the daylight hours to speed up efforts to rescue people believed to remain trapped under the rubble, she said.

Footage on state TV showed three children—covered in dust but alive—pulled from the rubble in La Guaira state, which Rodríguez described as a “disaster zone” and one of the areas hardest hit by the quakes because of the large number of collapsed buildings.

“Dozens of buildings have collapsed there … and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,” Rodríguez said.

The U.S. Embassy in Caracas said in a statement it was monitoring the aftermath of the earthquakes, urging American citizens in Venezuela to seek shelter, avoid damaged or destroyed areas, and monitor local media reports for updates.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote in a Wednesday evening post on X that the State Department was in contact with authorities in Venezuela and was sending assistance to the country.

“The U.S. stands with the Venezuelan people in the aftermath of this evening’s devastating earthquakes,” Landau wrote.

Meanwhile, the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, wrote on X his country has offered to provide assistance to Venezuela, writing on X that 300 rescuers and paramedics and around 50 tons of equipment, as well as essential supplies and medicines, are ready to be sent to Caracas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.