US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Washington is ready to assist Venezuela following two major earthquakes that struck the South American country.
"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 in a post on his Truth Social platform.
"The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help!" he said, adding that he has instructed all federal agencies to "get ready to move quickly."
"We will be there for our new and great friends," he said.
According to the latest technical data from the US Geological Survey (USGS), northern Venezuela was violently rocked by an extraordinary double-seismic sequence.
Seismologists confirmed that a massive 7.2 foreshock first struck near the municipality of San Felipe, the capital of Yaracuy state. Merely 40 seconds later, an even more catastrophic 7.5 mainshock occurred just southeast of Yumare.
The mainshock was the largest recorded earthquake to strike Venezuela and the strongest in over 125 years.
Details on the extent of the damage and the official death toll were not immediately available.
The US government has not yet announced specific assistance measures, but Trump's remarks indicate that Washington is preparing to provide support as authorities assess the situation on the ground.
Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodriguez declared a national state of emergency late Wednesday after the powerful sequence of earthquakes struck the country's northern Caribbean coast, causing widespread damage and triggering tsunami warnings and advisories across the region.
