The casualty toll from the two earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday continues to worsen: 188 fatalities, 1,520 injuries, 157 missing persons, and 200 trapped under the rubble, as confirmed this Thursday by the President of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez.
The figures represent a significant jump compared to the balance that the acting president Delcy Rodríguez had provided early Thursday morning, when she reported 164 deceased and 971 injured.
Jorge Rodríguez also detailed that the earthquakes left 2,927 affected families and 250 damaged buildings, with La Guaira being the most impacted area.
Eight hospitals and 20 shopping centers were affected, and 137 aftershocks have been recorded since the main tremors.
The two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 struck on Wednesday at 6:04 PM local time, just 39 seconds apart, with epicenters in the state of Yaracuy.
The United States Geological Survey categorized them as the most powerful recorded in Venezuela since 1900.
The parliamentarian emphasized that the seismic movements have created "a situation of severe impact in important areas of the country, which has compelled the acting president of the Republic, Delcy Rodríguez, to declare them disaster zones."
La Guaira is witnessing the worst damage. Delcy Rodríguez described the situation as "a true tragedy," with dozens of collapsed buildings and rescue efforts underway.
The region also bears a tragic history: in 1999, it was devastated by mudslides —known as the "Tragedy of Vargas"— which resulted in thousands of deaths in one of the worst natural disasters in Venezuelan history.
In the capital municipality of Chacao, the collapse of the 14-story residential building Petunia has resulted in 12 confirmed deaths, according to the mayor's office. Two other buildings also collapsed in the area.
The mayor Gustavo Duque assured that rescue efforts are ongoing because "it is believed that there are still people alive" among the rubble.
The images of the disaster left a mark on the neighbors. "I feel a lump in my throat every time I see that the building is gone. I used to pass by there every day on my way home. I barely recognize the place," said Mauricio Contreras, a 35-year-old office worker, to AP.
Venezuela does not have a seismic alert system. The Venezuelan Foundation for Seismological Research only records seismic movements after they occur. Some citizens managed to evacuate thanks to prior notifications that Google sent to Android phones. "It gave us time to get out."
"It wasn't until we were already outside that we began to feel it," writer Pericles Sánchez told AP.
The United States Geological Service issued a Red Alert —its highest level— and estimated, as an automatic probabilistic projection, that the final number of deaths could be between 10,000 and 100,000 people.
The international response included an unusual diplomatic approach: Delcy Rodríguez publicly thanked President Donald Trump and his administration for their "support and solidarity," while Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the immediate dispatch of search and rescue teams.
Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Qatar, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and the United Kingdom also offered assistance. Cuba, a historical ally of chavismo, was not among the countries that provided support.
"Here we are praying to God for my daughter to appear with her children," said Flor María González, whose daughter Dilinyer and her three grandchildren—aged 10, eight, and six—were trapped after the collapse of their building in La Guaira, with no news of them as of this Thursday.
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