The death toll in Venezuela rises to 188 and the injured to 1,520 after the two strong earthquakes
Faced with the emergency, dozens of Venezuelans sleep on mattresses and mats lying on the asphalt or taking refuge inside their vehicles.
The number of deaths in Venezuela due to the two earthquakes on Wednesday rose to 188 and the number of injured to 1,520, while at least 346 buildings, including buildings, hospitals and shopping centers, were affected, the president of the National Assembly (AN, Parliament), Chavista Jorge Rodríguez, reported this Thursday.
Rodríguez explained that, so far, there are 2,927 families affected, 157 reported missing, 200 people trapped, 250 buildings damaged and eight hospitals affected, "some have had to be evacuated," without specifying the number.
In a broadcast by the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), he indicated that, after the two earthquakes of magnitude 7.5 and 7.2 this Wednesday, 138 aftershocks have been recorded until 12:00 local time (16:00 GMT) this Thursday, which "has forced" the president in charge of the country, Delcy Rodríguez, to declare some places, including La Guaira, as "disaster zones."
“At this time, planes have left from the United States, Mexico, Spain, Qatar and United Nations human rescue expert groups,” added Rodríguez, who called for collaboration in the collection centers with whatever is requested.
Venezuelans have been sleeping since early Thursday morning on mattresses and mats lying on the asphalt or taking refuge in their vehicles on the streets, amid fear of the aftershocks.
The uncertainty regarding the damage assessment keeps the population on alert and, in fact, many of those who had decided to return to their homes, despite the damage to facades, returned to the streets in the face of some minor aftershocks.
Meanwhile, rescue personnel continue searching for survivors in collapsed buildings in areas to the west of the Venezuelan capital, such as El Paraíso, San Bernardino and Maripérez, and to the east, such as Los Palos Grandes, one of the most seismic communities in the city, and where extensive structural damage has been observed.
The machinery has begun to reach the affected areas, after several hours of rescue with shovels, wheelbarrows and human bodies. EFE