Rescue workers from around the world raced against time Friday to locate survivors trapped under rubble following two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday night, killing more than 920 people and injuring over 3,300 others in one of the country’s deadliest natural disasters in more than a century.
The twin quakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, hit barely a minute apart. The second tremor is believed to be the strongest to strike the South American nation since 1900, Venezuelan authorities said.
Emergency teams are working desperately to pull victims from collapsed buildings before the critical 72-hour “golden window” for survival begins to close. The hardest-hit areas include the capital Caracas and the coastal state of La Guaira, where hundreds of structures were reduced to debris.
Heart-wrenching scenes have unfolded across the affected regions, with families keeping vigil near mounds of concrete and steel, hoping for news of loved ones. Many survivors have been left homeless and are sleeping outdoors after their homes were destroyed or deemed unsafe.
In La Guaira, rescue personnel, police, and military units, supported by heavy machinery, continued searching damaged buildings nearly two days after the disaster.
Among those awaiting updates is Natacha Diaz, whose two daughters are believed trapped inside a collapsed shopping complex. “They are all I have,” she said, clutching their photograph.
Another resident, Andreina Valerio, made an emotional appeal for the rescue of her 18-month-old son, Santiago, who is trapped with other family members beneath the rubble.
Hospitals in the disaster zone are struggling to cope with the surge of casualties, with medical staff citing severe shortages of supplies and years of underfunding that have left the healthcare system ill-equipped for a crisis of this scale.
The disaster has also sparked renewed criticism of Venezuela’s emergency response capabilities, with residents calling for greater involvement of civilian volunteers as thousands remain displaced.
International assistance has begun arriving to bolster local efforts. Rescue teams from Switzerland and Mexico have joined operations on the ground, while the United States military is participating in humanitarian efforts despite diplomatic tensions. Several countries have also sent heavy equipment, medical supplies, and field hospitals.
Authorities warned that the death toll is likely to rise as search and recovery operations continue in communities where many people are still unaccounted for.
The twin earthquakes have triggered a massive humanitarian challenge, forcing Venezuela to shift from immediate rescue operations toward a long and difficult recovery and rebuilding phase.
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