At least 188 people have been killed and over 1,500 injured after two massive earthquakes slammed Venezuela in short succession, wreaking havoc across the country's northern region and sparking a huge humanitarian crisis.
According to Venezuelan authorities, more than 200 people are still buried beneath collapsed structures, as rescue crews continue to hunt for survivors in affected villages.
The earthquakes, which occurred late Wednesday, had a serious impact on the capital, Caracas, as well as the neighboring coastal state of La Guaira, where dozens of structures fell, according to the New York Times.
Officials stated that at least 250 structures were damaged, with more than 100 buildings destroyed in La Guaira alone.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez called the catastrophe a tragedy and stated that rescue workers were working hard in all of the impacted districts.
Critical infrastructure was damaged by the earthquakes, resulting in power outages, burst water pipes, and extensive communication problems.
Parts of Caracas remained without electricity on Thursday, while water services were stopped in several northern states.
In order to support rescue efforts, authorities also halted rail and metro services, while Simón Bolívar International Airport was shut down due to severe damage. For the rest of the week, schools in the impacted areas were to remain closed.
Stories from hospitals and rescue facilities revealed the scope of the catastrophe.
Efraín Lucena, 10, was saved from a fallen building in La Guaira and is in stable condition, according to his relatives at the Universidad Central de Venezuela clinic in Caracas.
According to family relatives, medical professionals were evaluating serious injuries to one of his legs and contemplating the possibility of amputation.
Relatives claim that before getting stuck in the debris and dying, the boy's mother was able to pass him out a window to safety. As rescue efforts continued, another family member remained unaccounted for.
Venezuela's long-standing infrastructure issues, such as unstable electrical supplies, declining public services, and scarce healthcare resources, have made rescue missions more difficult.
Citing a lackluster emergency response in the early aftermath of the disaster, residents in some of the hardest-hit villages reported searching for survivors by themselves through the ruins.
Families and neighbors joined rescue efforts in a number of areas as they looked for loved ones buried beneath collapsed structures.
According to experts, the impact of the earthquakes was enhanced since the two tremors happened quickly after one another and targeted a region with geological features that increased ground shaking.
Numerous structures in the impacted area were built using materials that were extremely susceptible to seismic damage, raising the possibility of collapse and adding to the high death toll, according to a warning from the US Geological Survey.
The heavily populated districts of Caracas and La Guaira were the most severely affected, with homes, businesses, and residential towers reduced to rubble.
Concerns regarding unofficial hillside communities, where buildings are frequently more susceptible to seismic activity, were also voiced by authorities.
Venezuela has said that rescue teams and humanitarian aid are anticipated from a number of nations, including the United States, Mexico, Brazil, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, and Qatar. International assistance has started to mobilize.
As emergency personnel continue to seek survivors trapped beneath collapsed structures and get access to severely affected areas, the death toll is anticipated to increase.
