“China noted the reports about the earthquakes and offered its sympathies to the Venezuelan government and the affected population.  We believe that under the leadership of the Venezuelan government, its people will recover and rebuild soon. We stand ready to see what we can do to help in suitable ways in light of Venezuela’s need,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Thursday in response to a question on China’s follow-up measures concerning the two successive powerful earthquakes measuring above magnitude seven that struck the country. 

At least 164 were killed and 971 injured in Venezuela’s back-to-back strong earthquakes, the country’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez said Thursday, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Rodriguez said the coastal state of La Guaira in northern Venezuela was the hardest hit, describing it as a “disaster zone,” where dozens of buildings had completely collapsed.

In a separate question regarding whether any Chinese nationals had been affected by the disaster and what form of assistance China might provide, Guo said that as of this moment, there has been no report of Chinese nationals injured or killed. He added that China is closely following the severity of the earthquakes in Venezuela. “We are in close communication with our embassy in Caracas. China is ready to do what it can to assist in light of Venezuela’s need.”

Rodriguez thanked the Chinese Government on Thursday for the support and humanitarian aid it had extended to Venezuela in the aftermath of the quakes. She added that rescue teams from multiple countries have reached out to Venezuelan authorities and will arrive in successive batches to assist with relief operations, China Media Group (CMG) reported.

The US Geological Survey reported a magnitude 7.1 quake at 22:04 GMT on Wednesday, followed just one minute later by an even stronger magnitude 7.5 tremor. Both struck near the coastal town of Moron, about 160 kilometers west of Caracas.

The quakes are among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century, NBC News reported. “The building really shook from side to side. Unreal. The force was incredibly strong,” Caracas resident Roberto Damas was quoted as saying.

Mo Shuhua, a Chinese national who has lived in Valencia, Venezuela, for 18 years, was approximately 42 kilometers in a straight line from Moron, the epicenter of the earthquake. He told the Global Times on Thursday that he was resting when the earthquake struck, jolting him awake as his bed shook. “My wife and I rushed out without even slipping on our shoes,” he said, adding that his hands kept trembling even after they fled to an open, unobstructed space. 

The Chinese Embassy in Venezuela issued a notice on Thursday, reminding Chinese nationals residing in the country to closely track local seismic early warnings and disaster-related updates.

Based on preliminary seismic data, China’s National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center has determined that the earthquake will pose no impact on China’s coastlines, given that its epicenter is located beyond the Pacific Ocean basin, according to a release on its official website.

Venezuela also declared a state of emergency following strong earthquakes, with Rodriguez announcing the closure of Maiquetia airport due to earthquake damage, and extending condolences to the families of the victims, according to media reports.

Another Chinese national, surnamed Jin, had originally planned to fly back to China from the Maiquetia airport on Friday, but with the facility now closed, she is awaiting further updates. “So far, I have not received any update from the airport or the airline, nor any official notice of flight cancellations or suspensions,” she told the Global Times.