The confirmed death toll from the Venezuela twin earthquakes that struck on Wednesday evening has risen to 589, acting President Delcy Rodriguez announced, according to BBC News. The government confirmed that at least 2,980 individuals sustained injuries across the affected regions. Rescue teams spent the night searching through collapsed structures in Caracas and La Guaira, where residents could be heard calling for help from beneath the debris. The interim leader stated that emergency crews are working tirelessly to locate survivors amidst continuous aftershocks.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the Venezuela twin earthquakes occurred as a rare seismic doublet, featuring a magnitude 7.2 foreshock followed 39 seconds later by a magnitude 7.5 mainshock. Experts noted that the shallow movements amplified the destruction, making this the most powerful earthquake sequence to hit the nation since 1900. The violent ground shaking flattened scores of residential high-rises. What remains unclear is the total number of missing citizens, though monitoring databases suggest thousands remain unaccounted for.
The coastal region of La Guaira, situated just north of Caracas, suffered some of the heaviest structural damage and casualties. A medical professional in La Guaira told the BBC that the two primary hospitals in the state are completely overwhelmed and face a critical lack of medical supplies to treat the influx of wounded people. Complicating the emergency response efforts, Simon Bolivar International Airport sustained severe structural damage and all flight operations were canceled. The closure of the main airport has forced international aid deliveries to rely on alternative logistics.
International search and rescue units from multiple countries have begun arriving in Venezuela to reinforce local teams in the race against time. A team of 80 Swiss rescuers and a highly specialized contingent of Mexican aid workers are among the foreign personnel currently deployed in the field. Earlier on Friday, dramatic footage broadcast on state media captured the moment a woman was pulled alive from the rubble of a flattened concrete slab. Local residents have actively joined the search efforts, using their bare hands and basic tools to dig through crushed neighborhoods.
The United Nations humanitarian agency reported that rescue teams from at least 17 nations are mobilizing to support relief operations. The United States announced 150 million dollars in emergency aid for partners like the World Food Programme and specialized disaster units. Additionally, countries including India, Spain, France, Germany, and Colombia have dispatched military aircraft carrying field hospitals and medical personnel. Acting President Rodriguez has established a 200 million dollar reconstruction fund to repair destroyed facilities as the national state of emergency persists.
