Venezuela Earthquake Aftershocks Kill At Least 1,719 As Thousands Remain Missing

A pair of powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week has killed at least 1,719 people, with officials saying the death toll rose as rescue efforts continued for thousands still missing or trapped beneath rubble.

“Officials in Venezuela have announced that the confirmed death toll following a pair of powerful earthquakes that struck the northwest of the country last week has increased to 1,719, as rescue efforts continue for thousands who remain missing or trapped beneath the rubble”

Al Jazeera

Jorge Rodriguez, the leader of the Venezuelan National Assembly, said on state television on Monday that the number of injured had risen to 5,034 and that 15,866 were now homeless after the back-to-back magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes.

Al Jazeera

CNN said its teams were in La Guaira and Caracas as rescuers dug through rubble, and it cited NASA researchers estimating that approximately 58,870 buildings were damaged or destroyed by the twin earthquakes.

A strong aftershock also jolted Venezuela earlier on Monday, with the US Geological Survey registering a 4.6-magnitude aftershock at a depth of 10 kilometres and an epicentre north of Caraballeda on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast.

Relief efforts continued as international and local teams raced against time, with Al Jazeera saying officials believe tens of thousands remain missing and that rescue efforts involved some 30,000 Venezuelan emergency workers and 2,700 foreign experts.

Interim President Delcy Rodriguez told Al Jazeera on Sunday, "Today we have recovered people alive and, therefore, operations are not being suspended. We always maintain hope," as the critical 72-hour window passed.

AP News

In Caracas, Concepción Hernández, 51, described the aftershock sending residents back into the streets, telling The Associated Press, "Here we are again, back in the street. I don’t know when we’ll have a moment of true peace," after evacuating her apartment building in the Chacao municipality.

The BBC reported that in the port of La Guaira, people used crowbars, mallets and pickaxes to try to dig out loved ones and neighbours, and it quoted Ruben Rojas saying, "The civil protection people decided to help, but they don't have the equipment."

As attention shifted toward a longer humanitarian crisis, AP said Venezuelans combed Monday through more ruins while questions loomed about whether the cash-strapped government could coordinate care for thousands left homeless.

“- Published Many areas of Venezuela devastated by last week's twin earthquakes have yet to receive significant government help, leaving residents to carry out much of the rescue effort”

BBC

Jorge Rodríguez said electricity had been restored to 90% of the hard-hit state of La Guaira and that authorities had set up 15 temporary encampments for displaced people, while AP reported that relief organizations said the first 72 hours are the most crucial for rescues.

The BBC said Interim President Delcy Rodríguez announced a commission to assess damage chaired by her brother, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, and it described a colour-coded traffic light system to decide who could return home.

In the international response, the US Geological Survey aftershock details continued to shape the search environment, while the US state department said the US had announced more than $300m to help Venezuela, with the BBC and AP both pointing to the scale of the funding and the ongoing rescue focus.