Aftershock rattles Venezuela as rescuers search quake rubble
The USGS said the 4.6-magnitude tremor hit near the Caribbean coast after quakes that killed close to 1,500 people.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
A 4.6-magnitude aftershock struck Venezuela on Monday as rescue crews searched collapsed buildings for survivors from last week’s deadly earthquakes. The new tremor added strain to an operation that Venezuelan officials say involves tens of thousands of rescuers and foreign specialists.
The United States Geological Survey said the aftershock was centered north of Caraballeda on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast at a depth of 10 kilometers, or about 6 miles. Jorge Rodriguez, the head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, said there were no immediate reports of new damage.
In Caracas, the Associated Press reported that residents left buildings after the shaking. Concepcion Hernandez, 51, told AP from the Chacao municipality that she had gone back into the street and did not know when residents would have “a moment of true peace.”
Search focused on La Guaira
Al Jazeera, Reuters and AP reported that the largest rescue effort has centered on La Guaira, the northern port city identified as the worst-hit area. The disaster struck a country already facing a prolonged political and economic crisis, according to Al Jazeera.
Two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 hit northwestern Venezuela on Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported. Nearly 1,500 people have been confirmed dead, hundreds of buildings have collapsed, and tens of thousands of people are believed to be missing, according to the report.
Venezuelan authorities said 30,000 local rescue workers and 2,700 foreign experts are taking part in the search. Officials also said 24 countries have provided support, including more than 500 tonnes of supplies, 2,700 rescue and support personnel, and about 86 teams with search dogs.
The first 72 hours after a natural disaster are widely treated as the most important period for finding trapped survivors, and that window closed Saturday evening, Al Jazeera reported. Search operations continued after several people were found alive on Sunday, and officials said survival can last longer when trapped people have access to food and water.
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said Sunday that rescue operations would continue because people had been recovered alive that day. She said authorities were maintaining hope, according to Al Jazeera.
International teams report rescues
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said on X that rescue teams from Venezuela, Mexico and El Salvador helped free 21-year-old Aaron Levi from a collapsed building in La Guaira. Venezuela’s president said Levi had spent 106 hours under rubble.
Reporting from Catia La Mar in La Guaira, Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo said relatives had marked several collapsed homes where bodies had not yet been recovered. She said family members were waiting outside for recovery crews to retrieve their loved ones.
Bo also reported that food and water had only begun reaching some of the worst-affected areas, where many residents were still sleeping outdoors. Al Jazeera described the disaster as a major test for the international community and for Rodriguez’s new government, which took power after the reported US military abduction of President Nicolas Maduro in January.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.