A reporter who entered the ground zero of Catia La Mar in the Venezuelan state of La Guaira this Saturday described the devastation caused by the earthquakes on June 24 as a scene "straight out of the Apocalypse," after touring a city he characterized as being "in total loss."
The testimony, shared by NTV365oficial and widely circulated on social media, including by X user Cristian Crespo F., shows the condition of the coastal strip ten days after the earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 that shook Venezuela.
"I have gone to disaster areas, I have been to earthquakes, and you see that they are affected areas, sectors of the city. Here it is everything, I mean, an entire city in total loss. This is indescribable," stated the reporter.
According to their testimony, nearly all the buildings in the area have become unusable and can only be demolished or subjected to large-scale reconstruction.
In addition to the destruction caused by the earthquakes, at least eight fires were recorded on July 2 in Catia La Mar, attributed to the abrupt return of electrical service, which further exacerbated the damage in the city.
La Guaira accounts for 158 of the 189 buildings with total collapse recorded in Venezuela. Additionally, a NASA satellite analysis identified 58,870 damaged structures in the country and estimated 1.2 million tons of debris just in that state.
"These people need a lot, a lot of help. They lost everything; here, the assistance starts from scratch, from the very basics. Kids, elderly people, young ones... the entire city. Every resident of this city has lost everything," the journalist added.
The reporter concluded his testimony with an urgent call to the international community to donate to charitable organizations, emphasizing that "every little contribution makes a difference" for a country facing its worst seismic disaster in over a hundred years.
Residents of all ages are taking refuge in gyms and tents set up in the area, with no clear prospects for relocation. Hundreds of families in Caraballeda have been sleeping on the street for 10 days despite the government's promise to relocate them to the Las Caracas hotel complex.
While hundreds of families remain sheltered in gyms and tents without a housing solution, the NGO Provea reported that the 14,000 military and police deployed by the interim president Delcy Rodríguez have focused on public order control rather than ensuring essential services such as water, food, or basic supplies for the affected individuals.
Despite the institutional neglect, hope has not been entirely extinguished. More than 3,000 personnel from 33 countries are participating in the rescue efforts. Among the emblematic cases is that of Hernán Gil, a 43-year-old Venezuelan who was rescued alive after being buried for eight days, and that of a 70-year-old woman who was pulled out alive on Friday, July 3, after nine days beneath the concrete.
The official toll stands at 2,954 dead and 16,592 injured, a figure that rose by 309 fatalities in just one day.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) projects a 42% probability of total deaths between 10,000 and 100,000, while the UN estimates up to 50,000 missing persons. The citizen platform Desaparecidos Terremotos Venezuela recorded more than 35,564 people unaccounted for.
Filed under: