Critical process after earthquake in Venezuela: Death toll approaches 1500

A new aftershock with a magnitude of 4.6 was recorded at a depth of 10 kilometers north of Venezuela's capital, Caracas. Confirmed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), this tremor followed the major earthquakes that occurred last week and deeply shook the country. National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez stated in a announcement via social media that no damage has been reported so far from this aftershock. While Caracas residents were awakened by this moderate tremor shaking their homes, rescue teams continued their work in the disaster areas without interruption. In this difficult period, when a political and economic crisis prevails in the country, the trauma of the people has surfaced once again with the aftershocks.

Following the twin earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 that occurred last Wednesday, the death toll has approached the critical level of 1500. In La Guaira province, located approximately 40 kilometers north of the capital Caracas and the most affected area on the coastline, dozens of buildings have been reduced to piles of sand and rubble. During the Cavalry Angustus prayer, Acting President Delcy Rodriguez announced that the number of missing people has increased and confirmed that 1450 people have lost their lives so far. Rodriguez also stated that 3150 people were injured, 12.721 people were displaced, and 774 buildings completely collapsed. The government, establishing a presidential commission to determine the habitability of buildings, announced that schools in La Guaira will remain closed for another week and that electrical service has been 75 percent restored.

Rescue operations continue with great dedication and hope, even though the critical 72-hour period has been exceeded. Sebastian Eugster, the leader of the Swiss rescue team, stated that there is a 72-hour window after earthquakes and that the probability of finding survivors decreases rapidly after this period. Although the 80-member team led by Eugster, using eight search dogs, managed to detect a few survivors under the rubble, they unfortunately could not rescue them in time. Nevertheless, according to the government, by Friday evening, at least 33 people, including children, had been successfully pulled alive from the rubble. On Sunday, while racing against time in the search efforts, the rescue of a father and his son who were trapped under the rubble alive has boosted the teams' motivation once again.

The international community and foreign search and rescue teams have quickly flocked to the region to support Venezuela. More than 2.600 foreign rescue personnel who reached the field have not withdrawn despite the lack of heavy machinery and the limited presence of official teams. The United States Department of State announced that American teams rescued a baby from the rubble and shared these moments on the social media platform X to inform the world. A Colombian rescue team, using a scanner device, rescued an 11-year-old boy named Moises who was trapped at a depth of 3 meters; however, the child's mother and sister lost their lives. Additionally, Mexican rescue teams managed to rescue another 11-year-old child alive from the rubble of a collapsed building in the town of Caraballeda.

The scale of the disaster and its political implications continue to shape other important headlines on the country's agenda. A senior United States official stated that Washington expects the announcement of an additional aid package worth hundreds of millions of dollars in the short term, beyond its 150 million dollar commitment. During the Angustus prayer in Rome, Pope Leo expressed his closeness to the people of Venezuela and thanked the search and rescue teams. On the other hand, opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado announced that she plans to return to her country after receiving her award, but United States officials pointed out that this timing is sensitive due to the disaster response. In terms of the economic impact, it was reported that the Amuay facility, Venezuela's largest refinery with a capacity of 645.000 barrels per day, halted its operations on Sunday following a major power outage in Falcon province.