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A fresh 4.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Venezuela’s northern coast on Friday, shaking Caracas as rescue teams searched for survivors of Wednesday’s twin quakes. The death toll has risen to 920, with thousands injured, widespread destruction, and billions of dollars in estimated damage.
A fresh earthquake struck off Venezuela’s northern coast on Friday afternoon, adding to the misery of a nation already reeling from two devastating earthquakes that have left more than 900 people dead and thousands injured. The new 4.9-magnitude tremor was felt in the capital Caracas and the nearby city of Maracay, triggering fresh panic among survivors and rescue workers searching through mountains of debris.
The latest quake came just two days after powerful back-to-back earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck on Wednesday evening, flattening residential buildings, damaging critical infrastructure and leaving entire neighbourhoods in ruins. According to the Venezuelan government, at least 920 people have been killed, 3,360 injured and 172 remain trapped beneath collapsed structures. More than 50,000 people are reported missing as rescue operations continue around the clock.
Emergency responders, volunteers and residents are working frantically to locate survivors before the window for successful rescues narrows further. However, rescue efforts have been hampered by damaged roads, shortages of heavy machinery and delayed arrival of international aid teams.
In several of the worst-hit areas, desperate families have resorted to digging through concrete and twisted metal with their bare hands, hoping to find loved ones alive.
The situation remains particularly grim in La Guaira state, where many buildings collapsed completely under the force of the earthquakes.
Frustration is mounting among survivors who say official rescue efforts have been too slow to reach the hardest-hit communities.
Jennifer Palacios, 25, said her six-year-old son and five other relatives remain trapped beneath the rubble of the eight-tower Hugo Chavez housing complex in La Guaira city.
She said local residents have managed to rescue several people without sufficient government assistance but urgently need cranes and heavy equipment to lift massive concrete slabs, warning that more survivors may still be alive beneath the debris.
Although foreign rescue teams and humanitarian assistance have begun arriving, aid distribution remains uneven across affected regions. Authorities continue to struggle with collapsed infrastructure, disrupted communications and the enormous scale of destruction.
Hospitals remain overwhelmed as thousands of injured people seek treatment, while emergency shelters are accommodating families displaced after losing their homes.
The disaster is also emerging as a major political challenge for interim President Delcy Rodriguez. The government’s response is likely to come under increasing scrutiny as survivors demand faster rescue operations and greater humanitarian support.
Rodriguez, who has presented herself as a leader of political change despite previously serving as vice president under the ousted Nicolas Maduro administration, now faces mounting public pressure over the pace and effectiveness of relief efforts.
The United Nations estimates that the twin earthquakes have caused approximately US$6.7 billion in direct damage, making it one of Venezuela’s worst natural disasters in decades.
The second earthquake, measuring magnitude 7.5, was the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century, leaving widespread devastation across Caracas and surrounding regions. Authorities warn that aftershocks remain possible as rescue operations continue in the race to save those still trapped beneath the rubble.
International rescue teams continued arriving in Venezuela on Friday, including crews from countries that have had strained diplomatic ties with Caracas, as the global response to the earthquake disaster gathered momentum.
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez held phone conversations with US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. She also met US Northern Command officials and disaster response experts to coordinate international relief efforts.
The US announced Rs equivalent of $150 million in humanitarian assistance, eased certain sanctions to facilitate aid delivery, and deployed two military ships. US helicopters and aircraft are also supporting search-and-rescue operations.
In the coastal neighbourhood of Los Corales, a 50-member rescue team from El Salvador used drones, thermal imaging equipment and specially trained dogs to search the collapsed remains of three 10-storey buildings.
Rescue team chief Roberto Gavidia said survivors trapped beneath the rubble had been communicating with relatives by phone, raising hopes that more lives could still be saved.
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele shared footage showing rescuers preparing to enter one of the collapsed buildings after locating a 15-year-old girl trapped on the ninth floor alongside her pet.
The earthquakes have struck a country already grappling with years of economic hardship, political instability and weakened infrastructure, leaving millions vulnerable to the disaster’s impact.
Many survivors have been left homeless and without support. Suhayl Sarquiz, 50, told Reuters her apartment building had become uninhabitable, leaving only her and her son after she had already lost her job months earlier.
The US Geological Survey warned that the final death toll could exceed 10,000, potentially making the disaster one of the deadliest earthquakes to hit Latin America in the past century.
Article source: indiatoday.in