Venezuela's strongest earthquake since 1900 kills at least 164

Back-to-back earthquakes have killed at least 164 people in Venezuela, acting President Delcy Rodríguez says.

At least 164 people have been killed and 971 injured, according to Rodríguez.

Rescuers are searching the rubble in Caracas and the state of La Guaira, where more than more than 100 buildings have collapsed, the UN says.

These tolls could increase significantly as rescue efforts continue, with the US Geological Survey putting the potential loss of life at more than 10,000.

The quakes, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, hit a minute apart. The second was the strongest to hit Venezuela since 1900.

More than 100 buildings have collapsed in La Guaira, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has said.

The update adds that acting President Rodríguez has given permission for all UN urban search and rescue teams to be deployed to offer logistics and other support to other incoming teams.

It says that international teams will focus on La Guaira and Caracas as a focus area, while all other areas of Venezuela are being handled by civil protection and local teams.

One man in Caracas says it felt like "the world was moving for a long time", and the two quakes felt like "one massive long earthquake".

The US Geological Survey says thousands of people could have been killed in total.

President Trump and other administration officials have vowed to help Venezuela - a process helped along by warmer relations between the two countries following the US capture of Nicolas Maduro in early January.

Since then, Trump has repeatedly signalled a willingness to work with interim president Delcy Rodriguez, on whom he frequently lavishes praise.

So far, we have very little information on what that US assistance will look like. Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier said that US-based search and rescue teams are being deployed. He added that aid flights will be handled by the defence departent, due to damage to Caracas' main airport.

The Pentagon, however, tells me they have no information to provide at this time. Similarly, the White House and State Department has yet to provide any information on what assistance might be coming, and how much.

Representatives of Venezuela-focused organisations in South Florida - the heart of the country's diaspora in the US - tell me they're working on ramping up assistance from their communities, but so far have no further details.

Maduro, for his part, is currently in a federal detention facility in New York awaiting trial.

In a statement posted on X - presumably by members of his team - Maduro called for "maximum solidarity" and "maximum action" in response to the earthquake.