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Agence France-Presse

The official death toll from twin earthquakes that flattened parts ‌of Caracas and surrounding areas rose to 920, the authorities said on Friday.
The government has estimated hundreds of people still trapped and missing nearly two days after magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 tremors struck about 160⁠km (100 miles) west of Caracas.
International search and rescue teams from at least 17 countries are being scrambled to Venezuela to help look for survivors of Wednesday’s devastating twin earthquakes, the United Nations said on Friday.
Venezuela’s political opposition set up a website to track missing people, in parallel to government efforts.
It showed there were more than 58,000 people unaccounted for, far exceeding the government’s official count, which reached 150 on Thursday at midday.
Families posted missing-person fliers with photos of while others shared handwritten lists of names.

Venezuelans abroad struggled to make contact with relatives due to phone services being interrupted in the country.
In downtown Caracas, hundreds spent the night huddled in parks, car parks and other open spaces.
A mother of three, Dayana Delgado, asked where the heavy machinery was that government officials had promised and said residents were the ones digging through crumpled buildings.
“I want to know where my child is, if he’s trapped or in a shelter,” she said of her missing eight-year-old son.
Another mother sobbed and collapsed in grief as the bodies of her children, aged three and ten, were wrapped in blankets and carried away.
Others screamed the names of the missing. Some stood in silent shock.
“We are going to rescue the people who are trapped,” acting President Delcy Rodriguez said. “We are working tirelessly on this task.”
She said crews had rescued dozens of people.

The injured were pulled out covered in dust and blood, among them children.
Venezuelan state television showed dramatic images, including a woman who was trapped under a cement slab with only a bare foot poking out before rescuers slid her out alive.
But few government search teams were initially seen outside Caracas.
“The overriding priority is to rescue as many people as possible while urgently providing life-saving healthcare to the injured,” said Ciro Ugarte, emergencies director for PAHO, the UN health agency’s Americas regional branch.


“The first 72 hours are critical to saving lives, and efforts are heavily focused on ensuring timely medical attention for those affected,” he said, speaking from Washington.
“The number of deaths and injured people will significantly increase in the coming hours and days.”
The International Organization for Migration said that up to 6.76 million people in Venezuela could be affected by the quakes, some 2 million of them in Caracas alone.
Loyce Pace, the International Red Cross’ regional director for the Americas, said “people are still terrified to re-enter what were their homes”.
Rodríguez spoke surrounded by government and military officials as she welcomed the arrival of rescue crews.
She said the state of La Guaira has been hardest hit by the twin earthquakes that struck on Wednesday evening.

The area has been militarised, Rodriguez said, as crews search for survivors and distribute food and water.
Getting search and rescue teams to the scene is the “top priority”, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said.
“Earthquakes are one of the most devastating things that can happen to any country,” spokesman Jens Laerke told reporters in Geneva.
“It really is a terrifying thing. But what we are seeing right now is also an international mobilisation at its very best.
“The entire humanitarian system is moving very fast, and at scale.”
A total of 25 teams – 17 national urban search and rescue teams, and the rest being emergency medical response teams – were being deployed, with a total of 1,000 rescue personnel, he said.
And there was more to come.

Teams from Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland and the United States were already in Venezuela, said Laerke.
Teams from Britain, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Jordan, the Netherlands, Qatar and Spain, among others, were also being mobilised.
The World Health Organization said the immediate needs included mass casualty management and trauma care, particularly in areas with collapsed buildings.

Ugarte, from PAHO, the UN health agency’s Americas regional branch, said the earthquakes hit a health system that was already fragile, but over 15 health ministries in the region had pledged support and were ready to deploy teams.
He said PAHO experts were working on mapping the affected health facilities.
They had identified more than 90 hospitals exposed to shaking intensities beyond six and seven on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
“We are prioritising those facilities, including the assessment of the structural safety, emergency department capacities, operating theatres, inpatient beds, blood supply, and oxygen,” he said.
“Hospitals are managing injuries such as broken bones and head injuries, but also, we are seeing burns and other injuries that result from building collapse,” he added.

How Rodriguez handles the earthquake crisis is likely to shape the future of her administration after the US operation that removed strongman Nicolas Maduro from power in January.
An effective response might help build support behind her, while a faltering one stands to deepen public frustration and strengthen opposition led by Maria Corina Machado.
Additional reporting by Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg


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Venezuela earthquakes death toll rises to 920, other nations rush to help

Neighbours and relatives work to rescue a person from the rubble of a building in La Guaira, Venezuela, after two earthquakes hit the country. Photo: Reuters

A large pile of rubble from a collapsed Venezuela building in Los Corales, La Guaira state, is seen following Wednesday’s devastating earthquakes. Photo: AFP

Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez (wearing glasses) visits an area affected by Wednesday’s earthquakes. Photo: AFP

A woman cries, believing a family member is trapped in rubble, after earthquakes hit Venezuela on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Ecuadorian firefighters get ready to board a plane early on Friday, bound for Venezuela, to help with rescue efforts after Wednesday’s devastating earthquakes. Photo: AFP

Emergency personnel rescue a person from the rubble of a collapsed residential building following two earthquakes in Venezuela. Photo: Social media via Reuters

Former president Nicolas Maduro, pictured in December, was removed from power in Venezuela in January during a stunning raid by US special forces. Photo: AFP

Venezuela earthquakes draw aid from governments that cut ties with Caracas

Neighbours carry a man from the rubble of a collapsed building in La Guaira, Venezuela. Photo: AP

Members of a specialised unit of the Chilean fire department, bound for Venezuela. Photo: Reuters

Salvadorean military with sniffer dogs before departure. Photo: AFP

US-led relief effort puts Washington’s post-Maduro strategy in Venezuela to the test

People walk and ride past collapsed structures and debris following an earthquake in Catia La Mar, Venezuela, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

US Marine Corps Major General Kevin Jarrard is welcomed following his arrival in Caracas, Venezuela on Friday to oversee US teams supporting relief operations following two earthquakes. Photo: via Reuters

Motorcyclists ride past a collapsed building after an earthquake in La Guaira, Venezuela, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

People take cover after an earthquake at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters  

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Chinese-Filipinos walk along Binondo in Manila. The community has been involved in disaster relief efforts in the Philippines for many years. Photo: Jeoffrey Maitem

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News

World

Americas

Tens of thousands are reported missing. Almost 3,000 people are confirmed hurt, says interim president. Millions could be affected


Tens of thousands are reported missing. Almost 3,000 people are confirmed hurt, says interim president. Millions could be affected.


Venezuela

Earthquakes

Delcy Rodriguez

United Nations

Venezuela earthquakes death toll rises to 920, other nations rush to help

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Tens of thousands are reported missing. Almost 3,000 people are confirmed hurt, says interim president. Millions could be affected

Tens of thousands are reported missing. Almost 3,000 people are confirmed hurt, says interim president. Millions could be affected