Two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday have so far caused more than 920 deaths, while around 3,360 other people have been injured.
Many people are still reported missing, according to authorities, as rescue teams continue nonstop searches for people who may be alive beneath the rubble.
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The area hardest hit by this disaster is La Guaira, north of Caracas. In this region, dozens of buildings have collapsed or been severely damaged, including hospitals, shopping centers and other infrastructure facilities. The area is also home to Simón Bolívar International Airport as well as one of the country’s main ports.
National Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodríguez said that at least 172 people are believed to still be under the rubble. In La Guaira alone, meanwhile, 243 people have been pulled out alive. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said that dozens of citizens have been rescued alive and that 214 aftershocks have been recorded so far.
The earthquakes struck just seconds apart. The second, with a magnitude of 7.5, is considered one of the most powerful to hit Venezuela in more than a century.
The large number of injured has placed the healthcare system under extraordinary strain. Doctors are providing aid at makeshift centers, while hospitals that are still functioning are overcrowded and facing shortages of medicine and equipment.
“All of our hospitals are short on supplies and medicines. Even under normal conditions it was difficult to treat patients, and now the situation is far worse,” said doctor Pedro Javier Fernandez.
Meanwhile, relatives are anxiously waiting for information about their loved ones. Natacha Diaz, a resident of La Guaira, said that her two daughters, aged 22 and 23, were trapped beneath the rubble of a shopping center where they were at work.
“I just want them to be found. I hope they are still alive. They are everything I have,” she said.
The work of rescue teams has been made even more difficult by damage to roads, communication problems and a lack of equipment. In some cases, searches for survivors are being carried out with bare hands.
Foreign aid has also begun arriving in Venezuela. Search-and-rescue teams from the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Mexico and Switzerland have joined the emergency operations. Meanwhile, the US has announced that it will send ships, transport aircraft and a $150 million aid package to deal with the consequences of the disaster.
