Details of the devastating earthquake emerge from Venezuela as rescue workers race against time to save thousands trapped in collapsed buildings and debris. As per official reports from around Venezuelan local time 3 am on Thursday, 32 people died, and over 700 were hurt after tremors shattered buildings in and around the capital Caracas.
The first quake happened at 6:04 pm local time on Wednesday, 6:04 pm and the second happened 39 seconds later. The first measured 7.2 on the Richter scale and had its epicenter in central Venezuela, while the second was shallower and hence more dangerous at 7.5.
Testimonials from local people hint that the death toll could be a lot bigger. "We're looking for relatives we can't find. We still have no electricity. People have mobilised on their own. There are no rescue workers or anything," one of them told LA RAZÓN, a Spanish daily.
The death toll could rise as Wednesday was a holiday in Venezuela, which prompted many to stay at home.
“We are looking for some relatives we can’t find. We still don’t have electricity. People have mobilised on their own. There are no rescue workers or anything. Around here, many buildings have completely collapsed. I have family over there. We don’t know where they are. In areas like Playa Grande, we know of entire buildings that have come down,” a local resident, Roison Figuera, told LA RAZÓN via WhatsApp.
Another resident, Cristian González felt his building in Chacao was going to collapse. “The structure was damaged; there are cracks, and the floor broke. It’s uninhabitable,” he told LA RAZÓN. Even so, he felt fortunate because he knew that others nearby had completely collapsed. “From the rubble, you could hear cries for help.”
Samir Martínez was in Altamira, near that area, walking when he felt the tremor and then saw one of the buildings collapse. The noise was “absolutely insane.” And then, a lot of dust. Laura Goldberg, a film professor who lives in the area, also described the shock of seeing the walls open up around her.
Social media in Venezuela is already filling with photos and messages from people reporting missing persons. The website desaparecidosterremotovenezuela.com reported nearly 8,490 missing persons, and more than 400 found safe, as of Thursday morning.
Social media in Venezuela is already filling with photos and messages from people.
Meanwhile, the situation in the state of La Guaira, in northern Venezuela, is the epicenter of the double earthquake, is still unclear. La Guaira is a coastal city located just 30 kilometres from Caracas.
Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez , declared La Guaira a "disaster zone" and warned that "the state most affected by this unprecedented seismic event is La Guaira," where "dozens of buildings have collapsed." "We can say that La Guaira is in a true tragedy and has become a disaster zone," she told reporters.
