Extensive damage at Venezuela's Simon Bolivar airport following earthquake: Things to know

At least 164 people have died in Venezuela following the massive earthquake which hit the country around 9.30 am IST on Thursday, according to Reuters. Buildings across the country's capital, Caracas, were destroyed in the twin quakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5. The country's most important airport, the Simon Bolivar International Airport, commonly known as 'Maiqueetia,' was also severely damaged by the quake and is currently closed. As per reports, parts of its roof collapsed, and videos on social media show extensive damage in the public terminal area as well. It is not clear yet how much the airport's air traffic control tower, runways, taxiways, navigation systems, fuel and cargo facilities and parking areas are affected.

Due to the damage in Maiquetia, flights headed for Caracas are now being diverted to other regional airports. Many are entirely cancelled as well. The region is also experiencing a major airspace disruption due to the developments. According to the flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, the airport's ground-based air traffic control infrastructure has completely lost operational capacity.

Across Venezuela, rail and metro services have also been suspended following the quakes. 'Venezuela' has more than 50K search volume on Google Trends in the past 9 hours.