Venezuela twin earthquakes: Death toll crosses 200 mark as rescue ops enter second day

The rescue teams operating in Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes are racing against time to find survivors after dozens of buildings were reduced to rubble, with thousands of people now feared dead. The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that the American Department of Defence would help the Latin American nation in the search and rescue operations.

In light of this, the Americans have deployed search and rescue teams to affected areas after Venezuela’s main gateway, the Simón Bolívar international airport, near the capital, Caracas, was badly damaged by the harsh tremors. On Wednesday, the country was rocked by massive 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that were just 40 seconds apart, leaving Venezuela's north in utter shambles.

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“They have [lots of] collapsed buildings and so they will need a lot of help in terms of digging through that,” Rubio told reporters, adding that the next 72 “golden” hours were critical. “In search and rescue, you are trying to get to people while you can still save their lives – they are buried under rubble," he added.

It is pertinent to note that the coastal area near the international airport, around the cities of La Guaira, Catia La Mar and Caraballeda, appeared to have sustained by far the worst damage, with a string of large tower blocks levelled and people desperately hunting for missing loved ones. “This is an utter tragedy,” the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, said in a televised broadcast, declaring the La Guaira region a disaster zone.

Rescue ops underway

Caracas also sustained severe damage, with several buildings in the Venezuelan capital collapsing. The death toll in the devastating earthquakes crossed the 200 mark on Thursday, with 235 dead and over 1,500 missing.

“We are fully mobilised right now … We will surge in people, we will surge in solidarity and, most important, we will surge in search and rescue support … for people who have lost so much … Now is the time for action," Tom Fletcher, the head of the UN’s humanitarian agency, said in a statement.

The UN agency reported that more than 100 buildings had collapsed in the La Guaira region alone. They included a large block of flats called the Ritasol Palace and the seafront Eduard’s Hotel. Those missing include children as young as five, as well as elderly people. The quakes were so strong that they were felt in the Brazilian city of Manaus, in the Amazon, more than 1,000 miles to the south of Caracas, forcing people to flee their homes.

Not only this, aftershocks continue to rock Venezuela on Thursday as the world leaders offered their condolences and support to a nation already reeling from years of economic and humanitarian crisis and political repression. “France stands ready, alongside its European partners, to provide assistance to the affected populations … A team of 85 French specialised rescuers … will be deployed immediately," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a post.

Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, voiced “great concern and dismay” for the people of Venezuela, who had already shown “great resilience in the face of adversities”. US President Donald Trump, who changed the political landscape of the country, said: “The USA stands ready, willing, and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good!!!”