India, June 25 -- At least 164 people died and around a thousand sustained injuries after two earthquakes, called a "doublet", rocked Venezuela in quick succession on Wednesday evening.

Experts believe the death toll could rapidly climb as rescue operations continue.

Track the aftermath of the Venezuela quakes live here

Wednesday evening's 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes were among the strongest to strike the country in more than a century. In 1990, Venezuela's capital Caracas was struck by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake.

The US Geological Survey said the first earthquake hit west of Moron on the Caribbean coast, about 170 kilometers west of Caracas. It had a depth of 22 kilometres. The second earthquake, at an even higher magnitude, st...