1,430 Dead, 50,000 Missing After Venezuela Earthquake
More than 172 people remain trapped beneath the rubble. Photo: Reuters
The death toll from the devastating earthquake in Venezuela has climbed to 1,430, while 3,238 people have been injured, according to official figures released Saturday. Authorities said more than 50,000 people remain missing, and at least 172 are still believed to be trapped beneath collapsed buildings as rescue operations continue.
Two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck the capital and surrounding areas on Wednesday evening. The second quake was the strongest to hit the country in more than a century, causing widespread destruction across Caracas and nearby regions.
Rescue efforts were briefly disrupted on Friday when a 4.9-magnitude aftershock shook Caracas and the neighboring city of Maracay.
Anger has grown in La Guaira, the hardest-hit region, where residents say rescue and relief efforts have been too slow. Facing a shortage of heavy machinery and limited government presence, volunteers and local residents have been digging through rubble by hand in search of survivors.
Jennifer Palacios (25) said her 6-year-old son and five other relatives remain trapped beneath the ruins of the eight-tower Hugo Chávez residential complex in La Guaira. "Local people have rescued survivors on their own. We need cranes to lift the concrete slabs. There are still people alive underneath," she said.
A United Nations assessment estimates the twin earthquakes caused at least $6.7 billion in direct economic damage.
Collapsed buildings have reduced highways and neighborhoods to piles of concrete and twisted steel. Volunteers from Caracas and Valencia have traveled by motorcycle to deliver emergency supplies, while rescuers have marked damaged structures to aid search operations.
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez initially thanked volunteers but later urged the public to stay away from La Guaira, saying heavy traffic was hampering rescue efforts. Authorities have also closed roads leading to the disaster zone after 8 pm to everyone except government agencies and registered rescue teams.
In the coastal city of Catia La Mar, residents were seen taking toilet paper, cooking oil, bread and other goods from a damaged store, while security forces appeared to take no visible action.
Rodríguez, who became interim president after former President Nicolás Maduro was removed from office in January, has pledged extensive relief assistance for those affected.
Oil Minister Paula Henao said the earthquake had not disrupted Venezuela's oil production or fuel supplies, adding that no major damage had been reported to the country's energy infrastructure.
International rescue teams, including personnel from the United States, have joined recovery efforts. Rodríguez spoke by phone Friday with US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio after earlier meeting officials from US Northern Command and disaster response specialists.
The United States has announced $150 million in humanitarian assistance for Venezuela and said it will ease some sanctions on the country. Washington is also deploying two warships, helicopters and aircraft to support rescue and relief operations.
Source: Reuters (Adapted)
