Government update in Venezuela confirms that the total number of lives lost due to the recent earthquakes reached the mark of 1,430 this Saturday (27), according to an announcement made at 2:20 pm, Brasília time.
Information provided by the Venezuelan administration indicates, in addition to the fatalities, the occurrence of more than 3,000 injured individuals and around 3,100 citizens left homeless as a result of the catastrophe.
The north of Venezuela, including the metropolitan area of Caracas, was the scene of two intense earthquakes last Wednesday night (24). The force of these seismic shocks, the most powerful to hit the territory in more than a century, resulted in the demolition of structures and generated a scenario of widespread devastation in the metropolis and its surroundings.
Keep up to date with the latest information on the impacts of earthquakes
The new count of victims was announced by Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, in a statement carried by the Venezuelan public press.
However, both the United Nations (UN) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimate that total fatalities may significantly exceed official figures. This projection takes into account the intensity of the tremors, the precariousness of local infrastructure and the high population density in the affected regions, offering a more serious overview of the scale of the disaster.
Previously, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), part of the UN, had calculated that the impact of the earthquakes could have affected more than 6 million individuals.
In an official note, the IOM detailed that “up to 6.8 million people may have been affected by the earthquakes.” These estimates were formulated based on demographic assessments and the extent of the damage, with the capital Caracas alone being able to concentrate up to two million impacted people.
Additionally, the United Nations (UN) Humanitarian Aid Office estimates that the number of people still missing after the calamity exceeds 50 thousand.
Jorge Rodríguez, who is a relative of President Delcy Rodríguez, had reported on Friday (26) that hundreds of people remained buried. He also revealed that, until that day, at least 383 buildings had been completely destroyed or seriously damaged.
Rescue teams intensify efforts to search for missing people and remove buried individuals. The Venezuelan government reported that more than 1,600 rescuers from other nations have already arrived in the country to support aid actions.
Oliver Blanco, representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that “in the last few hours, Venezuela has received 17 flights transporting more than 1,600 rescue team members and, in the next 24 hours, 25 more flights are expected.”
The day before, a Brazilian Air Force aircraft landed in Venezuela, transporting health professionals, sniffer dogs and specific equipment. The government also reported that two other aircraft carrying humanitarian aid are scheduled to depart for the country this Saturday.
In a statement broadcast on state television in the early hours of the morning, the interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, highlighted that 10 other countries would join the rescue operations. She also mentioned the presence of 14,000 military and police personnel in the La Guaira region.
Numerous reports and visual records of buildings that collapsed are circulating on digital platforms.