At least 164 people have been killed and more than 971 injured after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela, collapsing buildings, shutting the country’s main airport and sending residents fleeing into the streets, authorities say.

Acting President Delcy Rodriguez declared a state of emergency late on Wednesday after quakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 hit within a minute of each other near the coastal town of Moron, about 170km west of Caracas. Rodriguez warned early on Thursday that the death toll was expected to rise as rescuers searched collapsed structures and attempted to reach remote areas.

The twin quakes are among the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century, in a country where major seismic events are relatively rare compared with other parts of Latin America.