Caracas, June 26: Northern Venezuela witnessed frantic rescue efforts on Thursday after back-to-back earthquakes killed more than 230 people, injured thousands and left many missing, with neighbours joining search operations to pull survivors from the rubble.
The official death toll rose to around 235 late Thursday, while at least 4,300 people were injured, Health Minister Carlos Alvarado told state media. Authorities warned the toll was expected to rise as rescue teams continued searching collapsed buildings.
The 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck on Wednesday evening and were among the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century. The tremors were felt across the region.
Neighbours Join Rescue Operations
The coastal region of La Guaira, north of Caracas, suffered some of the worst damage. Venezuela's main airport there was shut after sustaining damage, complicating relief operations. Across affected areas, residents found flattened buildings, cracked streets and damaged homes, while helicopters circled overhead.
State television showed dramatic rescue scenes, including a woman trapped beneath a cement slab with only one foot visible before rescuers pulled her out alive. Survivors, including children, were brought out covered in dust and blood.
Families searched for missing relatives by posting photographs and handwritten lists, while many Venezuelans abroad struggled to contact loved ones because of disrupted phone services.
Hundreds of people spent the night in parks, parking lots and other open spaces in Caracas. In one heartbreaking scene, a grieving mother watched as the bodies of her three-year-old and 10-year-old children were carried away wrapped in blankets.
La Guaira Suffers Worst Damage
Authorities said rescue teams from other parts of the country were being diverted to La Guaira, which was also devastated by a mudslide in 1999 that killed thousands.
President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency late Wednesday and announced a USD 200 million reconstruction fund for damaged hospitals and homes. She also appealed to businesses to provide heavy construction equipment for rescue work.
“We hope to rescue as many living people as possible,” Rodríguez said.
The US Geological Survey said both earthquakes were centred near Moron on the Caribbean coast, about 170 kilometres west of Caracas. Geophysicist Marcos Ferreira said the shallow seismic movements and the close succession of the quakes amplified the destruction.
“It is as if I am screaming and then someone starts screaming, too. That amplifies the vibration and adds to the potential hazard,” Ferreira said.
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Global Aid Reaches Venezuela
The United States, Chile, Switzerland, Turkey, Mexico, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic were among the countries sending rescue personnel, search dogs and humanitarian aid, while Qatar, Brazil, Spain, Portugal and Canada also pledged assistance.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who spoke to Rodríguez following the quake, said the United States was immediately deploying assistance.
“We have a whole-of-government response. It'll be big; it'll be fast; and it'll be effective,” Rubio said.
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