Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening.
Dozens of people were killed and hundreds of others were injured as a pair of powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening, acting President Delcy Rodriguez said in a televised address.
The two quakes -- a 7.2 magnitude one followed just seconds later by a 7.5 -- struck the coast of Venezuela, knocking down buildings in Caracas, the capital, and sending residents racing into the street.
Emergency responders were undertaking "intensive rescue operations" early on Thursday, searching for people thought to be under the rubble, Rodriguez said.
At least 188 people are dead and another 1,520 are injured following the two devastating earthquakes, according to Jorge Rodríguez, President of the National Assembly of Venezuela.
Rescue teams from the U.S., Mexico, Spain, Qatar and the United Nations are a heading to Venezuela to help, Rodríguez said.
At least 2,927 families have been impacted, Rodríguez said, and he called for people to remain at home.
Click here to learn about some of the organizations helping those affected by the earthquakes.
The two powerful earthquakes may become the most devastating in Venezuela's modern history.
Venezuela sits along the Caribbean plate. It is not part of the infamous Ring of Fire that snakes around the Pacific Ocean, where earthquakes -- especially of higher magnitude -- are relatively common.
An earthquake of this high a magnitude causes so much damage in a place like Venezuela because Venezuela’s infrastructure is not as prepared as countries along the Ring of Fire, like Japan.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the death toll will likely go over 1,000 and potentially could exceed 10,000.
-ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke
The U.S. Southern Command said it is working with the State Department to support a U.S. government relief operation in Venezuela.
“Our joint forces are moving quickly to bring the unmatched airlift, logistics, and lifesaving capabilities of the U.S. military to help save lives and support the Government of Venezuela during this crisis,” a SOUTHCOM statement said.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
