At least 920 people have died and 3,360 others have been injured after a series of powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday, according to Jorge Rodriguez, the head of the national parliament. The tremors, described by experts as the strongest to hit the region in more than a century, caused widespread destruction in and around the capital Caracas and the coastal state of La Guaira.
– We are facing an unprecedented tragedy; the number of victims will certainly rise significantly – said Tom Fletcher, the UN humanitarian coordinator, in an interview with AFP. He added that more than 50,000 people are listed as missing, though not all are confirmed victims. The search and rescue operation is extremely complicated, with ongoing danger from aftershocks, Fletcher noted.
The most affected areas are the outskirts of Caracas and the state of La Guaira. Reuters reports that at least 100 buildings, including high-rise residential blocks, have collapsed in La Guaira alone. The country’s main airport in Maiquetia has been closed due to structural damage. Residents and rescue teams are digging through the rubble, often using bare hands and makeshift tools.
International rescue teams arrive as aftershocks continue
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Friday that rescue teams from at least 17 countries are being dispatched to Venezuela, including crews from Mexico, El Salvador, Spain, Colombia, Germany and Switzerland. The United States has pledged $150 million in aid and support for rescue operations and repairs to the damaged airport. In total, the International Organization for Migration estimates that up to 6.76 million people may have been affected by the disaster.
Venezuelan authorities say over 200 people have been located trapped under collapsed buildings. Approximately 250 structures have been destroyed or severely damaged, and at least 2,227 families have been affected. Eight hospitals have reported damage, some of which were evacuated. Spanish media cite officials saying the list of searched persons exceeds 50,000 entries.
Two quakes struck within 39 seconds, second one stronger
The earthquakes occurred Wednesday evening local time, about 160 km west of Caracas. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported a first tremor of magnitude 7.2, followed just 39 seconds later by a stronger magnitude 7.5 quake. The USGS classified the first as a foreshock and the second as the main event. Both epicenters were near Yumare, with shallow focal depths of about 20 km and 10 km, respectively. These depths amplified ground shaking, causing violent tremors across a wide area.
The USGS issued the highest alarm level, citing a high probability of extensive damage and large numbers of casualties. According to the agency, these were the strongest tremors recorded within a 250 km radius of the epicenter since the start of the 20th century. In the entire northern Venezuela region, only five earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher have occurred in the last hundred years. Reuters notes that the previous deadliest quake in modern Venezuelan history was in 1967, when 240 people died.
Źródło: Polsat News, Fot. Reuters
