Twin Earthquakes in Venezuela Kill At Least 1,430, Leave 47,073 Missing

Twin earthquakes in Venezuela killed at least 1,430 people and injured more than 3,200, with the disaster striking central Venezuela less than a minute apart on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

NDTV said hospitals in Caracas and neighboring La Guaira were overwhelmed with casualties as desperate families searched for missing loved ones, and it described Luis Pena and his wife arriving from hard-hit La Guaira after hearing unverified reports about their twin sons, Matias and Mateo, who have been missing since the earthquakes.

Al Jazeera

The Jerusalem Post reported that Venezuelan authorities and human rights groups put the death toll at 1,430 and said 47,073 people were missing, while also citing Jorge Rodriguez’s latest estimates that another 3,200 people were injured and 3,100 left homeless.

In Caraballeda, about 40 kilometers north of Caracas, AFP journalists reported that a man and his teen son were found alive Sunday under the rubble as the death toll hit 1,450, with rescue hopes dwindling.

The Weekly Times added that the twin quakes measured magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 and struck on Wednesday evening, flattening buildings across coastal communities north of Caracas.

As frustration mounted in Venezuela’s state of La Guaira, France 24 quoted Mileidy Romero saying, “What are they waiting for?” as she described a pile of bodies and newborn babies and said rescuers “haven’t bothered to rescue them.”

France 24 also reported that Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said on state television that more than 14,000 members of the military and police are patrolling the area, where access is now blocked and special permits are required to enter.

Al Jazeera

The Jerusalem Post said Pope Leo expressed solidarity with people in Venezuela in Spanish before worshippers gathered for Sunday’s Angelus prayer in Rome, adding, “I wish to express my closeness to the Venezuelan sisters and brothers affected by the recent earthquakes that caused numerous victims and injuries.”

The Weekly Times reported that interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez said Saturday that rescuers had pulled 33 people from the ruins, while AFP journalists saw French and American rescue teams carry the son and his father down from a mountain of debris on stretchers.

In a separate account, Open Magazine said Acting President Delcy Rodriguez stated that 24 countries had sent a total of 521 tons of supplies, 86 specialised canine teams, and more than 2,741 members of search, rescue and technical support personnel.

With the critical rescue window narrowing, Al Jazeera said disaster experts warned that the first 72 hours offer the greatest chance of rescuing people trapped beneath collapsed buildings before dehydration, injuries and suffocation sharply reduce survival rates, and that the window ends on Sunday.

“Rescue crews and volunteers are racing against time to find survivors after twin earthquakes devastated Venezuela on June 24, killing at least 1,430 people”

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reported that the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said at least 1,423 infrastructures were affected and that transport infrastructure remains suspended and international airports are closed.

The Weekly Times said the UN migration agency estimated up to 6.76 million people could be affected and would require shelter, water, sanitation, healthcare and essential relief items, while also reporting that the United Nations estimated $6.7 billion in physical damage from Wednesday’s earthquakes.

In its account of the international response, Open Magazine said Delcy Rodriguez wrote that international personnel were working alongside Venezuelan authorities in ongoing search, rescue and relief operations in areas affected by the twin earthquakes.

Al Jazeera added that satellite imagery captured on June 26 shortly after the earthquake showed widespread damage in coastal cities including Macuto and Caraballeda, where Caraballeda was described as the centre of rescue operations and the state of La Guaira remained the most badly hit.