Punjab Newsline | Venezuela
The death toll from the devastating twin earthquakes in Venezuela has climbed above 900, while more than 50,000 people remain missing as rescue efforts continue across the country.
On Friday, emergency responders and volunteers continued searching for survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings, nearly two days after the powerful earthquakes struck. International rescue teams and humanitarian aid have begun arriving in the worst-affected areas to support local authorities.
According to the Venezuelan government, the powerful earthquakes that struck Caracas and surrounding regions on Wednesday evening left 920 people dead, 3,360 injured, and 172 individuals still trapped under debris. Officials also reported that more than 50,000 people remain unaccounted for.
A fresh 4.9-magnitude earthquake shook the capital, Caracas, and the nearby city of Maracay on Friday afternoon, raising fears among residents already reeling from the disaster. Frustration has also grown in heavily affected regions such as La Guaira, where many residents have criticized the slow pace of relief and rescue operations.
A United Nations assessment estimated that the two major earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, caused approximately $6.7 billion in direct economic losses. The second quake has been described as the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century.
Across the disaster zone, dozens of buildings have been reduced to piles of shattered concrete and twisted metal. Rescue workers marked collapsed structures with spray-painted names to help identify search locations, while volunteers transported emergency supplies on motorcycles from Caracas and Valencia to isolated communities.
