Death toll in Venezuela rises to 1430, another earthquake has struck

The death toll from the two devastating earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to more than 1,700, according to parliamentary speaker Jorge Rodriguez, the brother of interim president Delcy Rodriguez. The number of injured has reached at least 5,000. Over 700 buildings have either collapsed completely or partially due to the quakes. Despite the critical first 72 hours being vital for finding survivors, relatives of missing individuals continue to hold onto hope even five days after the disaster. Ana Rada, whose brother is missing, told the Associated Press, “I will keep hoping as long as I don’t see his body.” More than thirty hours after the earthquake, a mother and her 18-day-old baby were rescued from the rubble. The woman told the BBC that her newborn son gave her the strength to stay awake and alert. “As long as he was alive, I would stay alive,” she said.

Dayana Patino was doing dishes on the eighth floor of her apartment in the port city of La Guaira when the ground began shaking. She quickly grabbed her baby and found herself trapped under the debris when the building collapsed. When she realized no one could hear her screams, she decided to conserve her energy. She resolved to only shout if she heard voices or footsteps nearby. Patino told the BBC that she made noise when she heard her brother calling her name. “I told myself this was my only chance,” she said, eventually shouting out. Patino sustained injuries to both legs, while her baby suffered only minor wounds.

Several dozen countries have sent rescue teams to the affected area to assist in large-scale search operations. The Dutch Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team arrived on Saturday morning. The rescue team reported today that they are still working hard to free possible survivors from the rubble. “It involves very complex operations where heavy equipment is needed,” the team stated, adding that they worked throughout the night.

The death toll from the earthquakes in Venezuela has now exceeded 900, with thousands more missing, according to reports from earlier this week. Another earthquake struck near La Guaira, measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). It is unclear whether there were casualties from this new quake. Parliamentary speaker Jorge Rodriguez said authorities are monitoring aftershocks carefully. The Venezuelan government reported that the number of people killed by the devastating earthquakes on Wednesday has risen to 1,430, with 3,200 injured and 3,100 left homeless. Tens of thousands remain unaccounted for.

International aid workers have begun arriving in the country. According to Venezuelan authorities, more than 1,600 international aid workers have already arrived, with more rescue teams en route. The Netherlands has sent a USAR team consisting of 64 people and eight dogs to the country. They landed today and were immediately deployed. A live baby was found under the rubble:

A video titled "Baby Rescued Alive from Rubble in Venezuela" shows the moment the infant was pulled from the wreckage.

Venezuela was hit around 6:00 PM local time on Wednesday by two major earthquakes occurring shortly after each other. The first earthquake measured 7.2 on the Richter scale, and the second measured 7.5. Nearly seven million Venezuelans have been affected by the earthquakes, including about two million people from the capital, Caracas.

Frustration among Venezuelans is growing as they blame the government for slow emergency response. They accuse the government of being inadequately prepared for the scale of the disaster. Rescue workers are searching for survivors and bodies under the rubble. Relatives of victims and volunteers say there is a shortage of heavy machinery and that Venezuelan authorities are not sufficiently present in the affected areas. In the heavily impacted port city of La Guaira, some people are digging through the rubble with their hands looking for missing family members. Access to the area is restricted by authorities because traffic congestion is hindering the rescue operation.

Rescue teams are currently searching through the rubble in Venezuela, and international aid is beginning to arrive. There is a race against time in the disaster zone in Venezuela, with massive efforts underway to locate missing family members. Two severe earthquakes struck Venezuela, raising fears of thousands of casualties. Those who have been rescued from the rubble in Venezuela are then completely on their own.