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235 Dead, 4,300 Hurt in Venezuela Quake06/26 06:01
Venezuelans searched for survivors beneath collapsed buildings Thursday and
rescue teams raced to northern areas rocked by a pair of powerful earthquakes
that officials say killed around 235 people and left at least 4,300 people
injured.
LA GUAIRA, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuelans searched for survivors beneath
collapsed buildings Thursday and rescue teams raced to northern areas rocked by
a pair of powerful earthquakes that officials say killed around 235 people and
left at least 4,300 people injured.
"Unfortunately we have received around 235 patients who arrive without vital
signs or die when they arrive at our health facilities," Health Minister Carlos
Alvarado told state media Thursday.
The number of dead and injured is expected to rise with thousands reported
missing after the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that struck Wednesday
evening, which was among the strongest in Venezuela in more than a century and
was felt throughout the region.
Thousands were reported missing and buildings were evacuated as far away as
Brazil's Amazon.
In response to the devastation, the U.S. Treasury on Thursday moved to waive
some sanctions until Oct. 23 to allow transactions related to earthquake relief
efforts in Venezuela that would otherwise be prohibited.
Meanwhile, 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.
In the capital, Dayana Delgado, mother of three children, asked where the
heavy machinery was that government officials had promised, pointing out that
neighbors were the ones digging through the rubble.
"I want to know where my child is, if he's trapped or in a shelter," she
said of her 8-year-old son who was missing.
One mother sobbed and collapsed in grief as the bodies of her 3- and
10-year-old children were wrapped in blankets and carried away. Others screamed
the names of missing loved ones. Some stood in silent shock.
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.
Retired schoolteacher Juan Alberto Mendao climbed through wreckage in La
Guaira and past a dead body when he spotted a woman who was trapped and
signaling with her hand for help.
"May God rescue her as quickly as possible," said Mendao. "When we heard
the scream, there was nothing we could do."
Offers to send aid and supplies poured in from around the world, including
from the United States, which seized Venezuela's then-president Nicolas Maduro
at the beginning of the year in a surprise military operation.
The natural disaster is just the latest challenge for acting President Delcy
Rodrguez, the former vice president who took office in January after Maduro's
capture. Venezuela has been facing economic disarray for more than a decade,
and many people reject the legitimacy of the political movement Rodrguez
represents.
Rescue teams head to heavily damaged coastal region
Venezuelan authorities said they were diverting rescue teams from other
parts of the country to La Guaira, which is no stranger to natural disasters: a
1999 mudslide killed thousands in what is considered one of the country's worst
natural disasters.
Rodrguez appealed to businesses Thursday to make heavy construction
equipment available for rescue operations.
"We hope to rescue as many living people as possible," said Rodrguez, who
referred to La Guaira as a "disaster zone."
She said the first rescuers from the Dominican Republic were about to land
and more from other countries were expected to arrive in the coming hours.
While Venezuela sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the
South American and Caribbean plates makes strong earthquakes much less common
than in other parts of Latin America.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the first earthquake, with a magnitude of
7.2, hit west of Moron on the Caribbean coast, about 170 kilometers (105 miles)
west of Caracas. It had a depth of 22 kilometers (about 14 miles). Just a
minute later, USGS reported a second 7.5 magnitude earthquake, with a depth of
10 kilometers (about 6 miles) and an epicenter 16 kilometers (10 miles)
southwest of Moron.
The one-two punch of the quakes, combined with the shallow seismic
movements, amplified the destruction, said Marcos Ferreira, a geophysicist and
researcher at the Geological Survey of Brazil.
"It is as if I am screaming and then someone starts screaming, too. That
amplifies the vibration and adds to the potential hazard," Ferreira said.
Venezuela residents reeling from quakes
During the quakes, people ran from swaying buildings. Many were stunned
Thursday morning as they saw buildings reduced to skeletons, furniture hanging
out of windows and helicopters circling overhead.
In La Guaira, Cristian Carreo stared at his charred apartment building
tilting precariously to one side.
"I lost everything," he said. "There are people still inside, I imagine,
that couldn't get out. It's incredibly devastating."
In downtown Caracas, hundreds spent the night huddled in parks, parking lots
and other open spaces.
"We were afraid the buildings would collapse on us," said Mara Cristina
Daz, a 41-year-old janitor. "My mother, my daughter and I were cold. We didn't
sleep a wink."
Parts of the capital lost power and cellphone service, Rodrguez said.
Subway services were suspended and natural gas was shut off, she said. Classes
will also be canceled for several days, and the Ministry of Education said some
school buildings would be used as shelters and donation centers.
Families began posting missing-person flyers with photos of loved ones,
while others shared handwritten lists of names as they searched for loved ones.
Venezuelans living abroad struggled to make contact with relatives.
Shortly after United Nations officials in Venezuela called on the government
to lift social media restrictions so people can get potentially life-saving
information, Venezuelans in the country were able to access X. The site had
been blocked by Maduro since August 2024, in an attempt to suppress the
exchange of information among those who rejected his claim of victory in the
July presidential election.
Several governments offered assistance
Rodrguez declared a state of emergency in an address to the nation late
Wednesday. She said the government was creating a $200 million reconstruction
fund for damaged hospitals and homes.
Leaders from Mexico, Qatar, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Canada vowed to send
aid. A number of shipments were already on the way Thursday. Aid included
emergency and military personnel, canine and search teams, medical supplies,
water purifiers, airplanes and drones.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who spoke to Rodrguez following the
quake, said the United States was "immediately" deploying search and rescue
teams, medical resources other assistance, though he acknowledged the closure
of Venezuela's main airport created logistical challenges.
"We have a whole-of-government response. It'll be big; it'll be fast; and
it'll be effective," Rubio said.
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