Venezuela twin quakes death toll hits 235 as rescuers comb rubble for survivors
Thousands are missing and many feared dead after the country was hit by two of the strongest tremors in over a century
Venezuelans searched for survivors beneath collapsed buildings on Thursday and rescue teams raced to northern areas rocked by a pair of powerful earthquakes that officials say killed at least 235 people and left some 4,300 injured.
The number of dead and injured is expected to rise with thousands reported missing from the 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that struck Wednesday evening – among the strongest in Venezuela in more than a century and felt throughout the region. The previous reported death toll was 188.
In cities across northern Venezuela, panicked residents poured into the streets and searched for the missing in the debris.
The injured were pulled out of the rubble covered in dust and blood, among them children and animals. Venezuelan state TV showed dramatic images of rescues, including a woman who was trapped under a cement slab, only a barefoot poking out before crews managed to get her out alive. But few government search teams were seen outside Caracas.
The coastal region of La Guaira – north of the capital, Caracas – suffered some of the heaviest damage and casualties. The country’s main airport is there and was closed due to damage, complicating aid efforts.
Offers to send aid and supplies poured in from around the world, including from China, Venezuela’s neighbours, as well as the United States, which seized Venezuela’s then-president Nicolas Maduro at the beginning of the year in a surprise military operation.