A new earthquake measuring 4.9 hits Venezuela, and the death toll is on the rise

SadaNews - A new earthquake struck the northern coast of Venezuela late Friday to Saturday, just days after two successive earthquakes had demolished buildings and claimed the lives of nearly a thousand people.

Witnesses in Caracas and Maracay reported, according to Reuters, that they felt the earthquake, which the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said had a magnitude of 4.9.

The death toll from the earthquakes that struck Venezuela has risen to 589, more than doubling the previous count, according to acting President Delcy Rodriguez, who announced this on Friday while rescue teams, supported by international assistance, continued their race against time to find survivors buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings.

The rescue teams utilized heavy machinery, but also relied on the efforts of volunteers in attempts to reach those trapped under the debris in the affected area west of the capital Caracas. Reporters from Agence France-Presse observed rescue workers using heavy hammers to break up the rubble while calling for "absolute silence" to catch any cries for help that might come from survivors.

However, the sudden spike in the official death toll may not be the last. Rodriguez stated during a televised meeting with civilian and military officials: "Unfortunately, we now have 589 fatalities." The previous official count indicated 235 deceased, while Health Minister Carlos Alvarado announced late Thursday that the number of injured had reached 4,300.

International assistance has begun to arrive in the country, with rescue teams from El Salvador, Switzerland, and Mexico joining a senior U.S. military official in Caracas to oversee U.S. relief efforts. The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) stated in a post on X that Lieutenant General Kevin J. Gerard arrived in Caracas at the head of a "SOUTHCOM management team" as a senior field representative coordinating closely with partners to plan, coordinate, and manage the logistical and operational capabilities of the U.S. military in the affected areas.

Countries from around the world have pledged to send rescue teams and financial and humanitarian aid, with the United States announcing that it will deploy two warships, transport aircraft, and helicopters, in addition to mobilizing $150 million in assistance. In La Guaira, the most affected area north of Caracas, Amparo del Giudice was digging through the rubble with her hands searching for her son. She said: "It's an enormous amount of rocks, and it's impossible to clear it with bare hands," before hitting the debris in despair.

Elsewhere, a young girl died after being trapped for hours and unable to be rescued as residents stood helplessly by, according to local residents reporting to Agence France-Presse. Danny Rizzo, 48, stated: "We need people... we need soldiers to come and help us so we can get her out."

Similar magnitude earthquakes have resulted in the deaths of over 200,000 people in Haiti in January 2010, and 73,000 in Kashmir in October 2005.

The death toll includes several foreigners, among them nine Portuguese, three Spaniards, two Brazilians, two Chinese, and one Italian-Venezuelan.

Portugal and Spain's governments have announced that 56 Portuguese and 99 Spaniards are still missing. Aerial images shared on social media showed completely destroyed residential complexes in La Guaira. One rescue worker, who requested anonymity, told Agence France-Presse that the conditions were "extremely difficult," given the lack of trained personnel and significant technical limitations.

Reuters reporters witnessed residents looting a supermarket in the city. The director of the International Rescue Committee in Venezuela, Nicole Cast, described the situation as “catastrophic.”

Offers of assistance have poured in from around the globe, with specialized rescue teams being sent by Switzerland, Spain, France, Portugal, and Mexico.

China, India, Brazil, and Iran have also offered assistance, while Pope Leo XIV announced an immediate aid of 100,000 euros (approximately 114,000 dollars).

The United States is particularly involved in the relief efforts, having ousted and imprisoned President Nicolás Maduro in January, with an interest in oil-rich Venezuela.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his "deep sadness" over the disaster, affirming that the United Nations will provide support to Venezuela.

In a development that may complicate relief efforts, the capital's main international airport, located in La Guaira, remains closed after sustaining significant damage. Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado called for the release of "all political prisoners, both civilian and military," emphasizing that they should be allowed to reunite with their families while the country is in mourning.

The northern coast of Venezuela is located at the convergence of the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates but has not experienced a significant earthquake since 1997 when 73 people were killed, while another earthquake in 1967 claimed 236 lives.

The quake that hit Wednesday with a magnitude of 7.5 was the strongest since October 29, 1900, when a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck offshore.

The tremor was also felt in neighboring Colombia, where buildings in the capital, Bogotá, were evacuated as a precaution, and tremors were recorded in several cities in northern Brazil, according to Brazil's seismic monitoring network.