Vatican News
The counting of confirmed victims continues. The number of dead has already exceeded 1,400 people. In addition, there are over 3,200 injured and — what causes the greatest concern — over 50,000 missing.
The double earthquake that struck Venezuela on Wednesday, June 24, was the most devastating catastrophe in the country since 1900. It hit a nation already weakened by a severe economic crisis and political instability. With each passing hour, the scale of the disaster becomes clearer.
The city of La Guaira, located in the state of the same name, on the Caribbean Sea, just a few kilometers from the country’s capital, Caracas, was almost completely destroyed. This region suffered the most, although dramatic destruction was also recorded in the capital itself. Throughout the entire area, streets turned into rubble. Under the rubble, as everything indicates, thousands of people are still buried.
Tremors continue
In recent hours, the ground has not stopped shaking. On Saturday afternoon, another tremor of magnitude 4.8 was registered. Its epicenter was at sea, at a depth of about 10 kilometers.
With each passing hour, the chances of finding survivors diminish. Although 72 hours after the earthquake, rescuers managed to pull an eleven-year-old boy alive from under the rubble, rescue services are increasingly cautious in assessing the chances of finding more survivors under the debris.
Scale of destruction
International humanitarian aid continues to flow into Venezuela. At the same time, residents complain about insufficient support from the authorities in conducting rescue operations.
Hospitals are at their capacity limits. It is estimated that over 6.7 million people need immediate assistance: access to drinking water, medicine, shelter, and medical care.
Preliminary estimates of losses reach 6.7 billion dollars, which corresponds to about 6 percent of Venezuela’s gross domestic product. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez announced that 24 countries have already sent aid. Approximately three thousand foreign rescuers have also joined the Venezuelan rescue teams.
