Venezuela quake toll passes 1,700 as rescuers search rubble
Authorities reported 1,719 deaths after twin earthquakes in La Guaira, with thousands injured and tens of thousands missing or unaccounted for.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Venezuela’s death toll from two powerful earthquakes has risen above 1,700, authorities said Monday, as rescue teams kept searching collapsed buildings in the northern state of La Guaira. The number of missing or unaccounted for people remains in the tens of thousands, raising fears of a prolonged humanitarian emergency, according to AFP, AP and Reuters.
Officials said at least 1,719 people were killed and 5,034 were injured after magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes struck Wednesday near the country’s Caribbean coast. The tremors hit La Guaira, the coastal state that includes the country’s main port area and is described by the wire agencies as the hardest-hit part of Venezuela.
Rescue workers said the first 72 hours after an earthquake are the most important period for pulling survivors alive from debris. That period ended Saturday, but emergency crews, relatives and volunteers continued to dig through broken concrete and ruined buildings in damaged neighbourhoods.
Ana Rada, who was waiting near rescue crews looking for her brother, told the agencies: “We have to stay strong, even without food, without sleep.” She added: “Until I see the body, I still have hope.”
The response has drawn criticism over its speed, according to AFP, AP and Reuters. Officials have sought to show aid reaching displaced residents, with police and soldiers distributing cans of tuna and crackers in La Guaira.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said electricity had been restored to 90 percent of La Guaira state and that 15 temporary camps had been opened. Images from Reuters showed children who lost homes resting on donated clothing in the street, while AFP photographed funerals at the Southern General Cemetery in Caracas.
Aftershocks keep residents on edge
A magnitude 4.6 aftershock struck near Caraballeda on Monday, the agencies reported. Officials recorded no new damage from that tremor, but it sent some residents of Caracas into the streets.
Authorities have recorded more than 600 tremors since the initial earthquakes, according to AFP, AP and Reuters. Concepcion Hernandez, 51, said after leaving her apartment in the capital: “Here we are again, back in the street.” She added: “I don’t know when we’ll have a moment of true peace.”
International and local teams have concentrated on La Guaira and nearby communities including Caraballeda and Catia La Mar. Photographs from AFP showed members of France’s 7th Civil Security Training and Intervention Regiment working at a destroyed building in Catia La Mar.
About 30,000 Venezuelan emergency workers and 2,700 foreign experts are involved in the rescue effort, officials said. Images from AP, AFP and Reuters showed crews working around the clock, volunteers resting on rubble and rescuers carrying a girl pulled from debris four days after the quakes.
The earthquakes also damaged Venezuela’s main airport, according to AFP. Along the coast in Caraballeda, photographs showed collapsed structures, debris and crews continuing to search while families waited for news of missing relatives.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.