40,000 missing as rescuers race to find earthquake victims under rubble in Venezuela | BBC News

Around 40,000 people are missing with thousands feared dead, after two deadly earthquakes struck Venezuela.

Rescue teams are racing to reach the disaster zone in time to save people buried alive under the rubble.

The country's interim president Delcy Rodriquez has declared a state of emergency.

The quakes, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, struck a minute apart. The second was the strongest to hit Venezuela since 1900. Areas worst hit were the capital Caracas and the state of La Guaria, where more than 100 large buildings collapsed. People have been heard calling for help from beneath the rubble.

Venezuela's main international airport in Maiquetía on the outskirts of Caracas has been closed due to serious damage.

Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Vanessa Silva, Pallab Ghosh and Will Grant.

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