Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, has sent a cable of condolence to Delcy Rodríguez, Acting President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, over the victims of two earthquakes that struck the country, resulting in a number of deaths and injuries, expressing his hope for a speedy recovery for all those wounded.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the UAE, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, also sent similar cables of condolence to Delcy Rodríguez.
The United Arab Emirates expressed its sincere solidarity with Venezuela following the two earthquakes that struck the country. Two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, according to the United States Geological Survey, hit Venezuela on Wednesday, causing hundreds of deaths and injuries.
The acting president declared a state of emergency, and Caracas airport, which suffered severe damage, was closed. The death toll from the two earthquakes rose to more than 188 killed and 1,500 injured, according to the country's parliament speaker, in addition to the collapse of homes and buildings in the capital Caracas and widespread destruction across the region.
As search operations beneath the rubble continue, authorities are still assessing the scale of the damage, particularly in the state of La Guaira near the capital. Rodríguez declared the northern coastal state of La Guaira, the worst-affected area, a disaster zone.