The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has announced that the powerful earthquake that struck Venezuela may have caused between 10,000 and 100,000 deaths, according to the initial calculations of its monitoring system.
USGS has assigned this event the highest warning level, known as a “Red Alert,” a classification used only once or twice a year for earthquakes with potentially catastrophic consequences.
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Experts explain that this figure should not be considered the final death toll, but rather a statistical projection intended to guide authorities and emergency teams in managing the disaster response.
For these estimates, USGS relies on the PAGER system, which takes into account factors such as the earthquake’s magnitude, the depth of the shock, the intensity of ground shaking, and the number of residents exposed to risk. This information is then compared with similar cases from previous earthquakes to calculate the possible consequences.
However, specialists emphasize that the final outcome is also influenced by other factors, including the quality of buildings, population concentration, and the time of day when the disaster occurs.
Meanwhile, new updates to the estimates are expected in the coming days, as authorities continue search-and-rescue operations in the affected areas.
