Official balance of earthquake in Venezuela indicates 920 dead, but UN estimates 50,000 missing
The Venezuelan government updated this Friday (26) to 920 the number of people who lost their lives as a result of the recent earthquakes in the country, according to the balance released at 2:20 pm Brasília.
The same update, published earlier today, also recorded 2,980 individuals with injuries.
Last Wednesday night (24), two strong consecutive seismic events hit the northern region of Venezuela, where the capital Caracas is located. In addition to the fatalities, the earthquakes caused the collapse of buildings and left a vast trail of destruction both in the capital and in its surroundings. These were considered the most powerful earthquakes to affect the country in more than a century.
This new report was presented by Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, and is provisional in nature. International organizations such as the United Nations (UN) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) suggest that the total number of victims could be substantially higher, considering the intensity of the tremors, the vulnerability of the structures and the high population density of the affected areas.
The United Nations (UN) Humanitarian Aid Office projects that the number of people reported missing due to the catastrophe will exceed the 50,000 mark.
On Thursday (25), Rodríguez, who is the brother of President Delcy Rodríguez, had reported that 200 people were trapped under the rubble. He also stated that, to date, the government has counted 250 buildings that have been completely destroyed or suffered serious damage.
The interim president announced the decision to “militarize” the state of La Guaira, one of the places most affected by the earthquakes. La Guaira, a coastal area located on the outskirts of Caracas, has already been formally declared a “disaster zone” by the Venezuelan government.
Currently, search and rescue teams are concentrating their efforts on locating missing people and removing people trapped in the ruins.
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On digital platforms, several publications and images circulate documenting the devastation of collapsed buildings.
Several nations, including the United States and Brazil, have already announced the sending of teams to assist in search operations. International aid began arriving in Venezuela this Friday (26).
Details about the tremors that hit Venezuela
The two major tremors that hit Venezuela occurred less than a minute apart and with a separation of approximately 5 kilometers between their points of origin. The epicenter of the largest earthquake was located in El Guayabo, a Venezuelan city about 168 km from the capital Caracas.
Subsequent aftershocks were recorded in coastal municipalities close to Caracas, such as La Guaira, which suffered intense destruction. The international airport in the Venezuelan capital was also closed preventively.
In addition to the severe intensity of the tremors — which reached magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 — the reduced depth of the epicenters was a crucial factor in the great impact and trail of destruction. Tremors closer to the surface tend to be felt with greater force, amplifying the devastating effects.
The earthquakes occurred in regions with a high population concentration. A survey by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), based on these and other variables, estimated that the number of fatal victims could exceed 10,000 people.
