Venezuela declares state of emergency after deadly twin earthquakes

Second quake, at magnitude 7.5, was most powerful to strike the country since 1900, collapsing buildings in capital

• Venezuela earthquake - latest updates

Venezuela's interim leader, Delcy Rodriguez, has declared a state of emergency after the country was struck by two powerful earthquakes that collapsed dozens of buildings and killed at least 164 people, a toll that it is feared could rise significantly.

Rodriguez said 971 people were injured and more casualties were expected. The two strong earthquakes hit within a minute of each other shortly after 6pm local time on Wednesday. The first had a magnitude of 7.2 and the second 7.5, the most powerful to strike the country since 1900, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).