The urgent search for tens of thousands of missing individuals in Venezuela has intensified in the wake of two catastrophic earthquakes that have claimed over 900 lives.
On Friday, Venezuelan authorities reported a dire situation, with 172 individuals still trapped, 920 confirmed dead, and more than 3,000 injured following two powerful quakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5. These tremors struck in quick succession on Wednesday evening, wreaking havoc across the northern regions of the country.
A staggering number of over 50,000 people have been reported missing amid the devastation.
Eyewitnesses have recounted the haunting sounds of cries emanating from beneath the rubble of collapsed concrete and metal structures, indicating that some are still alive and trapped.
The global community has responded with an outpouring of support, as highlighted by international offers of aid. However, nearly two days after the disaster, foreign rescue teams and emergency aid are only just beginning to reach the areas most affected.
Frustration is mounting in Venezuela over equipment shortages and limited official presence.
Residents in the hardest-hit state, La Guaria, reported digging through the rubble with their hands, and complained of a lack of equipment, as volunteers ferried supplies on motorcycles from nearby Caracas and Valencia.
Survivors stood in masses of rubble, calling out for their missing relatives.
Arminda Gómez wept as she called out for her missing grandson and pregnant daughter.
“Please help me find my daughter, to see if she is trapped under the rubble,” she pleaded.
Interim president Delcy Rodriguez visited La Guaira on Friday after the area was declared a “disaster zone.”
The coastal city was without electricity, and many residents spent the night in the streets or searching for their relatives, according to AFP reporters.
Despite initially thanking the volunteers, Rodriguez and other officials later told people to stay away from La Guaira city because clogged roads were making rescue operations more difficult.
They announced roads would be closed starting at 8pm (midnight GMT) except to official and registered response teams.
Rodriguez said the government was creating a $200 million reconstruction fund for damaged hospitals and homes in a national address late Wednesday, as she declared a state of emergency.
Nation under strain
The quakes struck a nation already weakened by decades of economic and political turmoil that has impoverished residents, driven millions abroad and weakened infrastructure.
The 7.5-magnitude earthquake was Venezuela’s most powerful since 29 October, 1900, when a 7.7-magnitude tremor struck offshore.
A United States geological survey estimated more than 10,000 deaths were possible, which would make the event one of Latin America’s deadliest earthquakes of the last century.
UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply saddened” by the disaster as the global body vowed to assist Venezuela.
The strongest quake to hit Venezuela in 126 years will require “massive collective efforts,” UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement.
The International Medical Corps (IMC), which was providing support on the ground, said the hospitals which had survived the quake were overwhelmed with mass casualties, adding that the long-term effects of the earthquakes were likely to be severe.
“In addition to loss of life and a high injury toll, health and other infrastructure has been devastated in a country already suffering from high rates of poverty and a weak healthcare system.
“Priority needs include medical equipment, medical supplies, food, non‑food items, clean water and hygiene materials. The situation is extremely dire, and immediate support is critical,” the IMC said in a statement.
With additional reporting by Agence-France Presse.