Earthquake is devastating blow to Venezuela at time of uncertainty

Rodríguez addressed the nation on state television channel VTV more than two hours after the quakes.

Prior to that, official information had been very scant, no doubt due to the fact that communication channels to some of the worst affected areas were down. But it is also a result of restrictions placed on independent media under the Maduro government, which have led to the closure of hundreds of mainly local radio stations and news sites, which in the past would have been key to providing localised updates.

Rodríguez was flanked by her brother Jorge, who in his role as president of the National Assembly swore her into office as interim president just days after Maduro was seized, and by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, another staunch Maduro ally.

Unlike he so often did in the months leading up to the US military intervention, Cabello was not wearing military fatigues. He stood silently next to Rodríguez, as did her brother.

Rodríguez was visibly shaken as she delivered her speech, in which she called "first and foremost" for unity from the Venezuelan people, who for more than a decade have been deeply divided between those who supported Maduro, and his predecessor and mentor Hugo Chávez, and those who opposed him.

She also declared a state of emergency and tasked General Juan Ernesto Sulbarán, the commander of Venezuela's National Guard, with leading the emergency response.

During the more than a quarter century that Chávez and Maduro were in power, key positions in the government have been held by high-ranking military officers.

Many state ministries have for years been in the hands of generals, and analysts have said that part of the reason why Venezuela's infrastructure has become so run down is the lack of expertise of those in charge.

Under the watchful eyes of the Trump administration, Rodríguez has recently replaced the general running the ministry of housing with a civilian who has a degree in architecture and the general who headed the electricity ministry with an electrical engineer.

However, years of shortages - exacerbated by US sanctions - and mismanagement have meant that much of the public housing stock in particular has deteriorated.

A shortage of cement, for example, triggered by the collapse of the state-owned cement industry after its nationalisation under Chávez, has meant that badly needed repairs have often not been carried out on buildings and home, making them more prone to collapse.