Nearly 48 hours after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday, the death toll has risen to 589, with 2,980 injured. Hundreds of people remain trapped under the rubble. This updated casualty count was confirmed by the country’s interim president, Delsi Rodriguez, early Friday morning.
Rodriguez made the announcement surrounded by officials and military personnel, welcoming rescue teams arriving from around the world. The state of La Guaira was the hardest hit by the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes. The death toll is expected to rise as thousands of people are reported missing and intense rescue operations continue.
The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude tremors on the Richter scale destroyed dozens of buildings and left cities without power, creating a scene of total devastation. Regarding the consequences of the disaster, about 250 buildings were damaged, and at least 2,927 families were affected, confirmed the head of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez. The unofficial website “Desaparecidos Terremoto Venezuela” reports approximately 50,000 missing persons, while more than 7,800 have already been found.
US deploys aid
The lack of cellular service in some areas of the country has heightened the anxiety of many families, particularly the 7.7 million people who left Venezuela during the prolonged crisis and have struggled to contact relatives inside the country. Dozens have turned to social media for help in locating their loved ones, posting photos of missing relatives and their last known locations.
US President Donald Trump, who has maintained good relations with Venezuela since January when he captured President Nicolas Maduro — who is on trial in New York — promised to assist his “new and great friends.” Subsequently, the US State Department reported that Trump’s administration has mobilized emergency aid to Venezuela, which includes $150 million in humanitarian assistance, the deployment of the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), and two specialized urban search and rescue teams. The US Southern Command general arrived in Caracas last night to “oversee” Washington’s support, the US Army reported. Major General Kevin J. Jarraard of the Marine Corps, the highest representative of the Southern Command on site, is “working closely with his partners to plan, coordinate, and direct” US Army operations aimed at saving lives and providing “humanitarian assistance in the affected areas.”
International solidarity
Meanwhile, most Latin American countries, including Argentina, as well as Spain, Germany, Italy, China, India, and the European Union, have expressed their solidarity and have already deployed humanitarian aid. According to sources from the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs who spoke to LA NACION, the authorities are in contact with the Venezuelan government, and there are currently no reports of Argentines among the victims.
Source: La Nación