Trump says US ready to help Venezuela after major earthquakes

"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 said on his Truth Social platform.

"The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help!" Trump said. He added that he had instructed all federal agencies to “get ready to move quickly.”

"We will be there for our new and great friends," he said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US “extends our deepest condolences to the people of Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes.”

"Our hearts are with all those who have lost loved ones, those injured, and the courageous rescue workers working tirelessly in the aftermath," Rubio wrote on X.

"America stands with the Venezuelan people during this difficult time and at the direction of President Trump, the State Department is immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela," Rubio added.

In response to Trump's remarks, Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodriguez thanked Trump and his administration on X for “offering support and solidarity to the people of Venezuela in the face of this tragedy that has plunged us into mourning.”

According to the US Geological Survey, northern Venezuela was struck by an extraordinary double-seismic sequence.

The agency said a magnitude 7.2 foreshock struck near San Felipe, the capital of Yaracuy state. Forty seconds later, a magnitude 7.5 mainshock struck southeast of Yumare.

The USGS said the mainshock was the largest recorded earthquake to strike Venezuela and the country's strongest in more than 125 years.

Authorities had not immediately released official casualty figures or detailed damage assessments.

Rodriguez declared a national state of emergency late Wednesday after the earthquakes struck Venezuela's northern Caribbean coast, causing widespread damage and triggering tsunami warnings and advisories across the region.