A new earthquake shook the north of Venezuela on Monday morning, the same coastal strip that was devastated five days ago by the double earthquake, which has already claimed at least 1,450 lives.
The tremor, which was recorded shortly after 07:00 local time (11:01:03 UTC), once again instilled fear among a population that has yet to come to terms with the worst seismic catastrophe the country has experienced in over a century.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake had a magnitude of 4.6, with its epicenter located 27 kilometers north of Caraballeda, a coastal town in the state of La Guaira, and a depth of 10 kilometers.
The perceived intensity was grade IV on the Mercalli scale.
However, the Venezuelan Foundation for Seismological Research (Funvisis) reported a magnitude of 4.2, with the epicenter located about 6.2 miles east of La Guaira.
The discrepancy between the two institutions is technically common: different seismic networks and calculation methodologies can yield slightly different values for the same event.
The strongest earthquake since Wednesday
This tremor is the most intense seismic activity reported since the double earthquake on Wednesday, June 24, when two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 struck the north of the country just 39 seconds apart, being considered the strongest recorded in Venezuela since 1900.
Since then, Funvisis has recorded over 400 aftershocks. The most significant ones prior to this Monday were one with a magnitude of 4.9 on Friday the 27th and one of 4.8 on Saturday the 28th. Early Monday morning, two smaller aftershocks were also registered, with magnitudes of 2.5 at 02:47 and 2.7 at 06:14, before the main tremor. Shortly after this, the Venezuelan agency detected a second event with a magnitude of 2.7.
Panic among the population
The tremor on Monday forced many people to leave their homes once again in La Guaira and Caracas.
"It was quite felt," declared Ismel Díaz, a resident of La Guaira, to the AFP agency, where the destruction accumulated from the original earthquakes is extensive: buildings reduced to rubble or dangerously tilted, with emergency services working tirelessly.
The state of La Guaira remains under the control and custody of military forces, with over 14,000 personnel deployed due to severe housing infrastructure collapses. Among the current preventive measures are the prohibition of elevator use and the cut-off of natural gas service in critical areas, especially in Caracas.
An unprecedented catastrophe
The humanitarian context in which this new aftershock occurs is devastating.
The official toll as of Sunday, June 28, reached 1,450 dead and 3,238 injured, with 12,721 families affected.
The UN estimates up to 50,000 missing persons and calculates that a total of 6.76 million people are affected.
The Venezuelan government reported that 774 buildings collapsed either totally or partially, with 189 of them being completely destroyed.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimated direct damages at 6.7 billion dollars, equivalent to 6% of Venezuela's gross domestic product, with a total impact that could reach between 10.05 billion and 20.1 billion.
More than 2,200 rescuers from 17 countries are working against the clock among the rubble, with teams from the United States, Mexico, France, Spain, Brazil, and El Salvador, among others.
Washington announced a 150 million dollar aid package.
The Venezuelan authorities reported that 33 people have been rescued alive since the earthquakes.
Among the internationally missing are 150 Spaniards, 83 Portuguese and Luso-descendants, and at least 32 Cubans concentrated in Caraballeda, Catia La Mar, and Los Corales.
The USGS projected a 42% chance that the final number of casualties could range from 10,000 to 100,000 people, a figure that underscores the magnitude of what may still be unconfirmed beneath the rubble.
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