Nearly 50,000 people remain missing and at least 235 have died after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Thursday, according to officials. The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes occurred just 39 seconds apart near the capital Caracas, marking the strongest seismic event in the country since 1900, according to the US Geological Survey.
Devastation in Caracas and La Guaira
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez declared La Guaira, a coastal state adjoining Caracas, a 'disaster zone'. The Caracas airport sustained damage and is out of service, as captured in video footage. Electricity is scarce across the affected areas. Thousands have been left homeless, with buildings reduced to rubble. Videos showed terrified residents fleeing violently shaking streets.
Rescue efforts and personal tragedies
Rescue missions continue as people dig through wreckage with bare hands. Yamileth Jiminez, a resident of La Guaira city, said her 19-year-old son is trapped under the debris of their seven-story apartment block. 'He's under the slabs and there's no machinery to get him out,' she said. Teams of helpers have been carrying water, food, and medicine along the Caracas-La Guaira highway.
Pedro Perez, 64, who owns an upholstery workshop, said: 'We lost everything. We have no food or medicines. We hope help arrives quickly.'
