The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela has climbed to 1,430, with millions of people now in urgent need of humanitarian assistance as international rescue and relief efforts gather pace….
The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela has climbed to 1,430, with millions of people now in urgent need of humanitarian assistance as international rescue and relief efforts gather pace.
According to AFP, authorities said Saturday that search-and-rescue operations were continuing in the worst-hit areas, while aid agencies warned that millions of survivors could be left without access to clean water, sanitation, healthcare and emergency shelter.
The disaster has also prompted growing public anger over the initial emergency response, prompting US-backed interim Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodriguez to assure citizens that the country was “not alone.”
READ ALSO: Death Toll From Venezuela Earthquakes Rises to 920
The United States announced that relief operations had begun through the reopening of a runway at Simon Bolivar International Airport, allowing C-17 military transport aircraft to deliver emergency supplies.
A US naval vessel has also arrived off Venezuela’s coast to support relief efforts.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said search-and-rescue teams from at least 17 countries were being mobilised to assist local authorities in locating survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
In the hardest-hit coastal state of La Guaira, rescue workers and residents celebrated a rare breakthrough after an infant was pulled alive from the rubble about 32 hours after the powerful 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck on Wednesday.
Footage shared online showed an emotional rescuer holding the child as onlookers applauded.
Despite such rescues, hopes of finding more survivors are fading as experts warn that the first 72 hours after a major earthquake offer the best chance of recovering people alive.
The UN’s migration agency estimated that “up to 6.76 million people could be affected,” warning that survivors would “require emergency shelter, safe water, sanitation and hygiene services, healthcare, protection support and essential relief items.”
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said 3,238 people had also been injured in the disaster, while the United Nations estimated physical damage at about $6.7 billion, equivalent to roughly six per cent of Venezuela’s gross domestic product.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher warned that the death toll could continue to rise, revealing that more than 50,000 people remained unaccounted for as rescue operations continued across the affected regions.
(AFP)
