June 25 (UPI) — Large earthquakes hit Venezuela Wednesday evening and killed at least 188 people, authorities said.

National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez reported the death toll Thursday, adding that 1,520 have been injured and 157 are missing. More than 200 people are trapped under the rubble of about 250 collapsed buildings.

The epicenter was near the coast in northern Venezuela, east of Caracas. The first quake hit at 6:04 p.m. local time Wednesday, then 39 seconds later a second, stronger quake hit. The first was a magnitude 7.2, then the second was 7.5, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. More people were at their homes than usual because Wednesday was a holiday in Venezuela.

The USGS said there is a 44% chance that deaths will exceed 10,000 and a 30% chance that there will be more than 100,000. The agency added that aftershocks may still happen.

La Guira state, on the coast near Caracas, was the hardest hit with images showing residential buildings collapsed or severely damaged along the beach.

The United States is sending help.

“No matter what, the United States has always responded to humanitarian crises, especially in our own hemisphere,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Thursday. “That’s what we’re focused on now.”

Rubio said Thursday that he had spoken to acting President Delcy Rodríguez and said the Defense Department will help deliver aid, alongside rescue teams

Rubio said the quakes bring a “setback” for Washington’s plan to help revive Venezuela’s economy and ensure democratic elections.

“These are things you don’t plan for,” he said. “I think Venezuela is going to emerge stronger from this.”

Two American urban search and rescue teams are deploying to Venezuela to help find and save trapped victims, CNN reported. Sources from the Fairfax County, Va., and Los Angeles County Search and Rescue teams told CNN they have been called up.

Fairfax County is sending 80 people and six dogs, said John Morrison, public information officer for Fairfax County Search and Rescue. Three doctors and three structural specialists will join them.

Morrison told CNN the team is also sending about 70,000 pounds of equipment, including “heavy breaching and breaking” tools to rescue people deeply entombed in collapsed buildings. Listening equipment and cameras will also be used, Morrison said. He said the Fairfax team will also bring heavy equipment operators to work with Venezuelan specialists.

“This is exactly what we’ve trained for,” Morrison said. “We just did an exercise about a month ago, simulating a very large earthquake in a dense urban center.”

“When we get there, we’ll just take the conditions of the buildings where we are and go from there,” he said, adding that aftershocks are always a concern for rescuers.

Adding to the rescue challenge is that hospitals in the country have been neglected for years.

“The system has suffered significant deterioration for many years. An event like this does not find it in the best of conditions. In general terms, the conditions are worrisome,” public health policy specialist Marino González, a member of the National Academy of Medicine of Venezuela, told CNN.

“The critical factor is resource management. There is already coordination between public and private resources, which is good news,” González said.