Collapsed buildings. Mountains of rubble. Rescue teams racing against time. Families digging through debris with their bare hands, hoping to find loved ones alive. Visuals emerging from Venezuela capture the scale of devastation after two powerful earthquakes struck the country's north on Wednesday. 920 people have been killed, thousands injured and more than 50,000 reported missing, as humanitarian aid arrives and search-and-rescue operations continue.
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The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck northern Venezuela within less than a minute of each other on Wednesday, with rescue efforts continuing across the worst-hit areas, including La Guaira and parts of Caracas. Authorities said the toll is expected to rise as teams continue searching for survivors beneath the rubble.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said on Friday that the death toll had increased from 589 to 920. He also announced a military deployment to La Guaira, one of the hardest-hit states.
As families searched for loved ones, some using their hands to dig through debris, Rodriguez said, “Each person saved is a miracle.”
The humanitarian situation continues to worsen. United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher told AFP, “We've got over 50,000 people missing, over 500 people dead, so a massive job to go through the rubble.”
The United States said it had deployed two warships, transport aircraft and helicopters while mobilising $150 million in humanitarian assistance. Washington has also suspended economic sanctions on Venezuela that could have hindered rescue operations.
