Terrified travelers ran for their lives inside a Venezuelan airport before the building’s roof partially collapsed as two powerful earthquakes ravaged the South American country.
A series of 7.2 and 7.5 tremors destroyed parts of the Simon Bolivar International Airport, just outside the capital Caracas, on Wednesday, according to video shot by former Venezuelan lawmaker Wilmer Azuaje.
The 49-year-old former politician was inside Maiquetia airport – Venezuela’s largest and busiest airport – shortly after 6pm when the building began to shake.
Azuaje, a former deputy of Venezuela’s National Assembly, filmed the shocking scene as panels and bricks fell from the roof, dust billowed from the terminal as the cries of other travelers were drowned out by the loud sounds of the crash.
Two women narrowly escaped injury when part of the building collapsed at the terminal.
Azuaje visited the damaged building after the quake subsided, showing the piles of debris that littered the airport’s floors and desks.
This powerful earthquake killed at least 32 people and injured more than 700, said the acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez.
Most Venezuelans were at home when the quake struck, celebrating the Battle of Carabobo Day, a public holiday marking the 1821 victory that helped secure the country’s independence from Spain.
The two volcanoes are three miles apart outside the town of Yumare near San Felipe, about 100 kilometers west of Caracas.
The tremors struck a little more than 30 seconds apart, according to the US Geological Survey.
Rodriguez said the state of La Guaira, which hosts the international airport, was hit hard.
“Many buildings have collapsed, and we are currently making great efforts to save the lives of as many people as God allows us to,” he said early Thursday.
A dramatic live stream captured the moment fans attending a baseball game at the University of Caracas rushed onto the field to escape a giggling grandson.
Images from around the country shared the tragic aftermath across the country, as entire buildings collapsed and dozens of first responders sifted through the rubble in search of survivors.
“I also want to say that this is a real tragedy,” Rodriguez said. “From here, we send our message of solidarity, and to those families who have lost loved ones, we reaffirm our sadness and our support in these difficult times.”
President Donald Trump said the US is “ready, willing, and able to help” Rodriguez and Venezuela on Thursday night.
“The two major earthquakes that recently hit the great people of Venezuela are massive and have left a terrible death toll,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The USA is ready, willing, and able to help! I have ordered all agencies of our government to be ready to go immediately. We will be there for our new and old friends. The first reports are not good!!! President DJT”
In January, the US launched a series of strikes on Venezuela, culminating in the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.
Rodriguez, who has ruled Venezuela since the US impeachment of President Nicolás Maduro in January, welcomed Trump’s message as his country tries to recover from the country’s latest crisis.
“We thank the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and his Government, who have been in constant contact with the Venezuelan authorities, offering support and solidarity to the people of Venezuela in the face of the crisis we are facing,” he wrote on Facebook. “Venezuela will never forget the hand given to our people in these difficult hours.”
Via Post wires
