Two powerful earthquakes have led to a humanitarian catastrophe in the Latin American country of Venezuela. Thousands of people are still trapped under the debris. According to the latest data, the death toll has risen to 920 and more than fifty thousand people are missing.
The UN’s head of aid, Tom Fletcher, said the actual number of missing and casualties could rise as the rescue operation continued. The same information was confirmed by Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez. He said new injuries are being reported as rescue operations are ongoing.
The northern part of the capital, Caracas, was the most affected, where numerous buildings collapsed. According to the government, at least 200 people are still trapped under the rubble. However, the rescue operation is not progressing at the desired speed due to the crisis of heavy rescue equipment. This has led to increased anxiety, anger and frustration among the people.
International support has been stepped up to deal with the situation. In addition to the UN humanitarian agency, specialised rescue teams from seventeen countries, including Spain, El Salvador, Switzerland, Colombia and Mexico, have taken part in the rescue operation. A senior U.S. military official has also arrived in Caracas to coordinate relief and rescue operations.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said two powerful earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck just a few seconds on Wednesday evening. The first quake originated at a depth of 20.3 km from the ground and the second was 10km deep. The damage increases due to deepening depth.
According to experts, the northern part of Venezuela has long been earthquake-prone due to the junction of the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates. Earlier in 1900, a powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.7 struck the country.