A new seismic replica of magnitude 4.4 shook the state of La Guaira at 12:19 a.m. this Friday, triggering panic among residents and rescue teams who were tirelessly working among the rubble from the devastating double seismic event on Wednesday.
According to the official report from the Venezuelan Foundation for Seismological Investigations (Funvisis), the earthquake had a depth of 9.2 kilometers and its epicenter was located 30 kilometers northeast of San Felipe.
Some sources recorded it with a magnitude of 4.5.
Panic in the streets of La Guaira
The tremor forced many residents to leave their homes once again, terrified at the possibility of new collapses in buildings that had already been severely compromised by previous earthquakes.
Images and videos shared on social media show people running in the dark, with cries of desperation.
The tremor interrupted the debris removal efforts in the coastal area, where emergency teams have been searching for survivors since Wednesday.
Since the main earthquakes, there have been more than 130 aftershocks, according to reports from international media.
The context: An unprecedented catastrophe
The aftershock that occurred this morning takes place in the context of the worst seismic disaster Venezuela has experienced in over a century.
On Wednesday, June 24, two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck the northern region of the country just 39 seconds apart, with their epicenter located in Yaracuy state, Yumare municipality.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) rated it as the most powerful seismic event recorded in Venezuela since 1900.
The official toll, confirmed by interim president Delcy Rodríguez, stands at 589 dead and 2,980 injured, a figure that tripled in less than 24 hours compared to the 164 fatalities reported on Thursday.
The UN estimates that 6.76 million people have been affected, including approximately two million residents of Caracas.
The most affected area is La Guaira, a coastal locality near Caracas where the Maiquetía International Airport is located, which has been rendered inoperable due to the earthquakes.
At least 346 buildings, hospitals, and shopping centers were collapsed or severely damaged, and 2,927 families were affected.
International response and state of emergency
The Venezuelan government declared a national state of emergency and designated La Guaira as a "disaster zone."
Rescue teams from 16 countries are deployed in the area, including teams from Spain, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, and El Salvador.
The United States allocated 150 million dollars in humanitarian assistance, and Southern Command deployed two warships, transport planes, and helicopters to support rescue efforts.
The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, described the situation as "truly terrifying devastation" and warned that the agency was already providing assistance to around eight million Venezuelans before the earthquakes.
Geologically, the earthquakes originated in the Boconó fault, a crack approximately 500 kilometers long that represents the continental boundary between the Caribbean and South American plates.
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