Death toll in Venezuela rises to 589 after earthquakes; humanitarian aid begins to arrive in the country

Rescue teams continue to search for survivors among the rubble left by the earthquakes that hit Venezuela on Wednesday (24). The new balance released by the government this Friday morning (26) raised the official death toll to 589. Amid the mobilization of rescue teams, international humanitarian aid began to arrive in the country, with rescuers and equipment sent by different nations to reinforce search and rescue operations.

The two earthquakes, of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, mainly devastated the region of La Guaira, a coastal city near Caracas, where dozens of buildings collapsed. According to the Venezuelan government, 2,980 people were injured, while hundreds are still missing and more than 200 are still trapped under the rubble.

In Caracas and the most affected areas, rescue teams work with heavy machinery and manually to locate victims. At some points, rescuers stop work and ask for silence in an attempt to hear possible survivors under the wreckage.

International aid

The United Nations (UN) reported that search and rescue teams from at least 17 countries are being mobilized to work in the affected regions. Rescuers from El Salvador and Mexico have already landed in Caracas. According to the Venezuelan press, teams and supplies sent by Chile and Switzerland also arrived in the country.

Brazil confirmed the sending of a humanitarian mission. This Friday, a Brazilian Air Force KC-390 plane departed Guarulhos carrying firefighters, National Civil Defense technicians, professionals from the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) and nine tons of search and rescue equipment. A second flight, scheduled for Saturday (27), will carry a field hospital, water purifiers, medicines and medical materials.

The United States announced a package of US$150 million (approximately R$780 million) for humanitarian assistance actions, in addition to the sending of ships, aircraft and helicopters.

Several Latin American countries also offered help, as well as Spain, Germany, Italy, China and India, which promised to send specialized teams.

Search for missing

In La Guaira, family members continue to wait for news of missing relatives. “He is here,” he told the agency AFP Alessandro del Giudice, 23, while pointing to a mountain of rubble where he believes his father is buried. Next to him, his grandmother, Amparo, was trying to remove stones with her bare hands.

“There are a lot of stones and it’s not possible with your hands”, he lamented.

Also in La Guaira, Jean Alexander Capote said he lost family members after the collapse of the house where they lived. “My house completely collapsed, I lost my family, my mother-in-law died, my daughter is missing, I can’t find her,” he said.

The Brazilian government confirmed the death of two Brazilian citizens in the tragedy. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, consular assistance is being provided to the families of the victims.

The earthquakes occurred less than a minute apart and were the most intense recorded in Venezuela since 1900. Since then, more than 130 aftershocks have been recorded, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Venezuelan authorities warn that the death toll could continue to rise as rescue operations advance.

*With information from AFP