Rescuers are scrambling to save lives as Venezuela’s earthquake kills at least 188.

Jorge Rodríguez said 250 buildings were damaged or missing, mainly in La Guaira, where the BBC confirmed footage of a 10-storey hotel reduced to rubble. On Thursday, people were there looking for their loved ones.

Juan Ortiz told the BBC that one of his close friends was confirmed dead, another was believed to be in the wreckage, and about 20 people he knew who lived in the coastal area were missing.

“I’m in shock and confusion and I’m frustrated that I can’t help,” said the medical student from Caracas.

Buildings were destroyed in the capital, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said, while Trujillo, Yaracuy, Carabobo, Aragua and Miranda were also affected.

Gustavo Duque, the mayor of Chacao, part of Caracas’ largest metropolitan area, said Thursday that 11 people were killed and 23 others were rescued outside a collapsed building.

In a video update posted on social media, the team said it was trying to clear the debris “to reach people with hope of life” so that specialists could enter.

“We’re trying to save as many people alive as possible,” he said.

Venezuela’s main international airport in Myketia, on the outskirts of Caracas, has been closed due to heavy damage, the country’s interim president announced. Video from inside the terminal shows dust and debris falling from the ceiling.

About 250 km (155 mi) northwest of Caracas, another verified video shows a multi-story building, reported to be a hotel, destroyed on the beach in Tucacas.

At least 30 people have been recorded after the two earthquakes, Delci Rodríguez told state-run television station Venezuela de Televion.