A pair of powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude struck northern Venezuela within a minute of each other on Wednesday evening, killing at least 1,430 people and flattening hundreds of structures.
A third quake of magnitude 4.8 hit near northern Aragua state on Saturday afternoon as emergency personnel race against time to pull survivors from the debris.
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Severe Destruction and Casualties
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez reported the updated figures on state television, confirming severe destruction in the coastal state of La Guaira and sections of nearby Caracas.
The disasters also injured 3,200 individuals, left 3,100 people homeless, and left between 50,000 and 70,000 citizens unaccounted for by their families according to diverse agency estimates.
The United Nations Development Programme reported on Saturday that preliminary assessments show $6.7 billion in asset losses, representing 6 percent of Venezuela's gross domestic product.
Acting President Delcy Rodriguez deployed over 14,000 police and military personnel to secure affected areas while approximately 1,600 foreign specialists from countries like Mexico, the United States, Spain, and Brazil arrived to support local workers.
"Every person saved is a miracle," said Jorge Rodríguez, president of the country's National Assembly.
He emphasized that the administration would maintain transparency regarding the disaster. "We will not hide anything about the scale of this tragedy," said Jorge Rodríguez.
Infrastructure Failures and Desperate Searches
Civilians in several coastal towns have experienced severe infrastructure failures, including widespread mobile and internet service outages.
