Venezuela's earthquake death toll has risen to 1,719, National Assembly president Jorge Rodriguez said Monday, after a 4.6 magnitude aftershock rumbled through the disaster zone in the northern state of La Guaira. Rodriguez added that 5,034 people were injured in the quakes, and 15,866 left homeless.
Five days have passed since the twin earthquakes struck northern Venezuela. Relief organisations say the first 72 hours after a natural disaster is the most crucial time period for rescues, though survival can be extended if people have access to food and water.
Families kept vigil at search sites in hard-hit La Guaira, where local and international rescue teams battled exhaustion and the grim knowledge that the chances of finding life were rapidly diminishing.
Ana Rada watched intently as civil defense workers searched the rubble of a collapsed apartment for her missing brother.
“We have to stay strong, even without food, without sleep,” she said, wiping her eyes. "Until I see the body, I still have hope.”
The aftershock, which struck about 27 kilometres north of Caraballeda on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast, measured 4.6 on the Richter scale, according to the United States Geological Survey. Colombia’s geological survey put the magnitude at 5.1.
Jorge Rodriguez said there were no immediate reports of additional damage, but the aftershock sent residents in the capital of Caracas screaming into the streets.
“Here we are again, back in the street. I don’t know when we’ll have a moment of true peace,” said Concepcion Hernandez, 51, who evacuated her apartment building in the Chacao municipality of Caracas.
Read more'What are they waiting for?': Frustration grows at govt response as Venezuela quake death toll rises
Families and volunteers spent days pulling survivors and bodies from the rubble before the arrival of the more than 2,600 foreign rescue workers, often complaining of scant heavy equipment and a limited official presence, as hundreds of aftershocks deepened damage and kept residents on edge.
So far this weekend, the government said at least 33 people had been rescued by Saturday evening, including several children, while tens of thousands remained unaccounted for.
A father and his son were pulled out alive from the rubble of a collapsed building on Sunday as rescue workers raced against the clock to find more survivors.
Although the government has given a figure of hundreds missing or trapped, just under 50,000 people were listed as unaccounted for on a website promoted by the country’s political opposition on Sunday, a slight decline from 55,000 people a day earlier.
The Caracas Metro said it would temporarily suspend service Monday to inspect infrastructure following the aftershock.
The disaster has raised expectations for the Trump administration, considering its takeover of Venezuela’s oil industry earlier this year.
In a briefing with reporters, a senior State Department official said 300 first responders sent from the US are working on the ground – alongside dozens of other international rescue teams – and two dozen C-17 military transport planes arrive every day with supplies. Financial support from the US now exceeds $300 million.
The American military is also assisting with some repairs, including damage to the port in La Guaira to enable the arrival of more relief supplies by sea. Another team is helping to manage air traffic after the quakes destroyed part of the control tower at Simon Bolívar International Airport in Caracas, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly.
It seemed unlikely, however, that the Trump administration would grant temporary legal protections to Venezuelans as previous administrations have done for people from disaster-stricken countries already in the US. Such action was taken after earthquakes in 2010 in Haiti and 2001 in El Salvador.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and Reuters)
