Image source, Reuters

One of the earthquakes that struck Venezuela last night was the strongest to occur in the country since 1900, according to data from the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The first earthquake that struck the country last night was registered with a magnitude of 7.2 by the USGS, with a second quake of 7.5 magnitude striking less than a minute later.

The government agency's catalogue of earthquakes states that an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck near the coast of Venezuela on 29 October 1900, known as the San Narciso earthquake.

Rescue and recovery operations continue in Caracas and other areas affected by the two back-to-back earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday.

Some are choosing to set up tents on the streets, as fears remain of potential aftershocks or damaged buildings collapsing.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

We can bring you a little more from Delcy Rodríguez's update from earlier this morning.

The acting president says the most affected state is La Guaira, north of Caracas, where "dozens" of buildings have collapsed. She calls it a "disaster zone" and a "true tragedy".

Speaking of the reports of 32 dead, the interim president says this is "not including any figures that may come in from the state of La Guaira".

Image source, Delcy Rodriguez/X

Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez says the priority is "saving lives" and that authorities are working on rescuing people trapped by collapsed buildings.

Speaking earlier this morning, Rodríguez says that in the next few hours Venezuela will begin to receive rescue workers from other countries including the US, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and El Salvador.

She adds that hotels and shelters are available for those who have lost their homes, and that all classes and activities not essential to public services are suspended.

Esme Stallard
Senior climate and science reporter

Soon after the earthquake struck the US Geological Survey (USGS) gave an estimate on the potential economic damage and fatalities in the region.

It has put that most likely potential loss of life between 10,000 and 100,000.

This is not an exact figure of the number of people that may have died - it could be higher or lower.

The USGS issues this figure to help emergency responders, government agencies and the media understand how potentially significant this event is and deploy resources effectively.

The organisation uses something called the PAGER system to calculate this figure.

Image source, Reuters

It looks at many factors including the size of the earthquake, how far below the surface the earthquake started, the amount of ground shaking and the population in the area that could have been exposed. And then based off of previous earthquakes with similar characteristics it gives us a figure.

But many other factors play into the potential injuries and deaths, including the quality of the buildings and the time of day.

If people are sleeping when earthquakes occur it increases the likelihood of not being able to evacuate.

The figure will get updated as more information comes through. But this event has been given a red alert - of which there are usually only 1-2 a year.

It is the middle of the night in Venezuela, where back-to-back earthquakes struck on Wednesday evening.

These photographs depict the aftermath in Venezuela's capital city Caracas and nearby Valencia.

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Hotel in La Guaira reduced to rubblepublished at 08:23 BST

08:23 BST

Image source, X

By Sarah Jalali and Paul Brown

We've verified footage showing the aftermath of the earthquakes in Venezuela in which a hotel in La Guaira, Venezuela, has completely collapsed.

The Hotel Eduard's, on the coast of Venezuela just north of the capital Caracas, once stood 10 storeys tall but has now been reduced to rubble.

Using online mapping and reverse image searches we were able to verify the location and the recency of the clips.

We’re looking at other footage coming out of Venezuela showing widespread destruction.

We can now bring you more from BBC reporter Vanessa Silva, who tells us about a collapsed building in the north Caracas suburb of San Bernardino.

Vanessa says the building contained five flats and security personnel are working to remove debris.

She adds that they are also trying to confirm whether an individual has died while searching for survivors.

Vanessa says: "The minister of interior just said that they are evaluating the damages along the north coast of the country and there are reports of many damages in different states of Venezuela."

Image source, Getty Images

Many buildings in Caracas have been left with parts of their walls falling down and visible cracks, says a teacher at a British school in the capital.

Alan Chung, who has lived in Venezuela for seven years, tells Radio 4's Today programme that he was in a restaurant at the time of the quakes, before running outside and seeing "a cloud of dust" and electricity lines "exploding".

He says people in the country are accustomed to minor earthquakes, but this was "the most serious for a long time".

"Venezuelans are very resilient," Chung says.

Image source, Reuters

Back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela have killed at least 32 and injured hundreds. If you're just joining us, here is what we know so far:

• An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 struck in the north of Venezuela shortly after 18:00 local time on Wednesday (23:00 BST), and a second quake of 7.5 magnitude struck less than a minute later
• At least 32 people have been confirmed dead and some 700 have been injured. Buildings across the country's capital Caracas have been destroyed
• There are fears the tolls will rise further, as the US Geological Survey suggests there is a 44% chance of more than 10,000 fatalities
• The country's main airport has been closed due to damage, after footage showed people fleeing through its corridors as the quakes hit
• The US has pledged medical and humanitarian support - Donald Trump described the quakes as "massive in scale" with a "devastating number of deaths"
• Venezuela was celebrating a national holiday on Wednesday, and many people were at home when the quakes struck

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

The US is "immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources and humanitarian assistance" to Venezuela, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says.

In a post on X, Rubio says that "our hearts are with all those who have lost loved ones, those injured, and the courageous rescue workers working tirelessly in the aftermath".

It comes after his deputy Christopher Landau said that the US was in touch with Venezuelan authorities and "mobilising assistance".

More photos are emerging from Venezuela following the two major earthquakes on Wednesday, which rocked the capital city of Caracas within a minute of each other.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez has thanked US President Donald Trump in a social media post, saying he has been in constant contact with the Venezuelan authorities.

In a statement shared on Facebook she says that the US government have offered support and solidarity to Venezuela.

It is one of a series of messages Rodríguez has shared thanking other leaders for their support. She has also thanked Indian PM Narendra Modi and Chile's President José Antonio Kast among others.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social earlier that the US "stands ready, willing, and able to help", adding that he had "instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly".

Image source, Reuters

At least 32 people have died in the earthquake and some 700 people are injured, according to Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez.

These are the first figures that she has given regarding the number of deaths. We'll bring you more updates when we get them.

Three people have been killed after two buildings collapsed in Baruta, a municipality in Caracas, according to its mayor Darwin González.

In a post on X, González wrote that the other residents had been rescued and the injured were being treated.

As a reminder, authorities have not given a rough estimate of the death toll, though there are fears that the number could be very high.

The USGS earlier calculated a 44% chance of more than 10,000 fatalities, and a 30% chance of more than 100,000 after the second main quake.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

It's just past midnight in Caracas, where some shaken residents are spending the night outdoors.

There remains the fear of aftershocks, or that buildings damaged by the quake may suddenly collapse. Many are also waiting for news of their loved ones.

Authorities have asked people to leave their homes while the damage is being assessed - but not everyone has a place to take refuge after the quakes.

Venezuela's capital Caracas was rocked by two major earthquakes last night, causing buildings to collapse and residents to flee.

If you're just joining us, here's what's been happening:

• Two strong earthquakes rocked Caracas within a minute of each other - the first a magnitude 7.2 and the second 7.5
• Rescue crews are searching the rubble, from where BBC Mundo contributor Nicole Kolster said she could hear people calling for help
• Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez has declared a state of national emergency and offered her condolences, without specifying how many people have died
• Leaders across Latin America have offered support and solidarity, as has US President Donald Trump

• BBC North America Correspondent Will Grant stresses that the the damage "still isn't completely clear"
• Here is a look at the streets of Caracas, where people have fled after the interior minister urged residents to leave their homes

Stay with us as we bring you more updates.

Venezuela lies in a seismically active zone where two tectonic plates, the Caribbean and the South American, meet.

According to the US Geological Survey, the second and larger of the two quakes today occurred as a result of "shallow strike-slip faulting" near the boundary of these plates.

This is when faults, or fractures between the plates, move horizontally. An earthquake is caused when this movement happens quickly.

"While commonly plotted as points on maps, earthquakes of this size are more appropriately described as slip over a larger fault area," USGS reports.

The pair of quakes today "likely indicates a complex, rupture interaction process", the organisation says.

Aftershocks, including "some potentially with strong shaking" are still possible, it adds.

Image source, Getty Images

"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," US President Donald Trump has written in a post on Truth Social.

"The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help!"

Trump says he has "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!!!" There have so far been no official public reports on the number of casualties.

Valentina Oropeza
BBC Mundo

My sister Veronica sent me an audio message on WhatsApp yesterday evening: "The house just shook horribly, it's still shaking."

Living in the US, I had not yet caught up with what was happening in Caracas. For the next two hours, Veronica did not respond to my calls – and neither did our mother, who was with her.

I soon learned about the earthquake through a chat group with journalists in Caracas. Then a friend sent me a clip of a building in Los Palos Grandes that had disintegrated like a cookie.

I recognised it immediately – It was just a few metres from where Veronica and mum were.

By this time, my phone was beeping continuously with updates of damage in the area. I was so worried.

It wasn't until two hours later that I heard from Veronica again, when she regained internet connection.

"Sister, I thought we were going to die," she said before hanging up. She'll return home tomorrow to see if she still has a place to live.

Image source, Getty Images