Venezuelans Search Earthquake Ruins After 4.6 Aftershock Hits La Guaira

Venezuelans in La Guaira combed Monday through more ruins after last week’s back-to-back earthquakes, as a 4.6 magnitude aftershock rumbled through the disaster zone in the northern state of La Guaira.

The Associated Press reported that five days had passed since the twin earthquakes struck northern Venezuela, killing more than 1,450 people according to the government, while a 4.6 aftershock struck about 27 kilometers (17 miles) north of Caraballeda on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast.

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The aftershock sent residents in Caracas screaming into the streets, and Concepción Hernández, 51, said, “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.

In La Guaira, Ana Rada watched civil defense workers search rubble for her missing brother and said, “Until I see the body, I still have hope.”

As rescue teams worked, a viral video circulating on social media and shared by Venezuelan journalists on Sunday appeared to show Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello arguing with an American rescue delegation member after Cabello allegedly blocked the team from helping Venezuelans affected by last week’s earthquakes.

Breitbart News described the U.S. member as heard insisting, “There is somebody right over there that we’re trying to help,” while Cabello continued to argue with the man.

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The dispute over the scale of the disaster also remained stark, with Jorge Rodríguez saying that as of Monday a total of 12,721 people had been affected and 774 buildings had been damaged or collapsed, while the United Nations said up to 6.8 million of Venezuela’s nearly 30 million residents may be affected.

The Associated Press also reported that because of chaos and poor cellphone service, more than 50,000 people were reported missing on one non-governmental digital database, though it was unclear how many had been found.

With the rescue window closing, the United Nations said it would provide Venezuela with 10,000 body bags, and UN coordinator Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro told a virtual news conference, “We are procuring, and this is something that has been agreed with the authorities here, 10,000 body bags.”

DW reported that the death toll from the earthquakes had risen to at least 1,719, while Jorge Rodriguez said the disaster left more than 5,000 people wounded and more than 15,000 people homeless.

DW also said US Marines were working to repair the quake-hit port of La Guaira so supplies and equipment could be delivered by sea, and that a “specialized team of Marines” was “working around the clock to repair that port and allow the delivery of critical supplies by sea.”

At the same time, Folha de S.Paulo reported that opposition volunteers in Portuguesa faced National Police efforts to shut down a donation-collection campaign, and Vente party leader Heidy Loicett said officers tried to stop the effort and told her all donations should be routed through the federal government.