Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—On Friday afternoon, Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez provided the latest update following the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday. He reported that the death toll has risen to 920, with 3,360 people injured. In addition, 302 aftershocks have been recorded.
The unprecedented series of 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes caused widespread material destruction. Rodríguez reported that 383 buildings have been completely destroyed or significantly damaged, with the majority located in La Guaira state. Additionally, 14 hospitals, 25 shopping centers, and 1,002 other structures were affected. To mitigate the crisis, authorities have already distributed 2,600 tons of food in the hardest-hit regions.
International and local rescue efforts
Currently, 861 specialized rescue workers from Mexico, the US, El Salvador, Switzerland, Colombia, Spain, Ecuador, China, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and the United Nations system are on the ground. These international teams have joined thousands of Venezuelan first responders and helped to organized local volunteers in the ongoing search operations.
Rodríguez urged citizens to refrain from traveling to La Guaira to avoid traffic congestion, ensuring that roads remain clear for the transport of heavy machinery, food, medicine, and health-care equipment.
Concluding his remarks, the Chavista legislator called on right-wing opposition groups not to exploit the emergency for political gain. He specifically condemned the spread of fake news about a supposed tsunami, noting that it only obstructed and complicated Thursday’s search-and-rescue operations in coastal areas.
Militarization of La Guaira
Earlier on Friday, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez reported in a televised update that the death toll had reached 589, with 2,980 injuries recorded at that time. Her report, recorded at 2:30 a.m. and broadcast at 8:10 a.m., highlighted that “dozens of people have been rescued alive” and noted that 214 aftershocks had occurred since Wednesday.
“We have made the decision to militarize La Guaira state to address the very difficult situation affecting our people,” the acting president announced during a meeting with the emergency staff at the La Guaira state Operational Defense Zone (ZODI).
The military deployment aims to secure roads so that national and international rescue workers can safely access the affected areas and deliver vital water and food supplies to residents. “The priority continues to be saving lives,” Rodríguez emphasized. She expressed gratitude to the volunteers, foreign rescue workers, and local motorcyclists who spontaneously offered their vehicles to distribute food and provide transport.
“We are guaranteeing the peace and tranquility of our people, attending to those who have been victims of this situation,” she stated. Analysts noted that the decision to place the region under military control followed limited looting incidents reported on Thursday in localized areas of La Guaira, the state most severely impacted by the natural disaster.
Severe impact on coastal communities
In a separate statement on Thursday night, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello reported that 70,000 families in La Guaira state have been affected by the earthquakes.
Speaking from La Guaira, Cabello specified that Catia La Mar and Caraballeda are the most heavily affected communities in the state, where over 100 buildings have collapsed.
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“The acting president has given the order, and we are complying with it. The fundamental priority is to rescue all our comrades, whether they are from La Guaira or were visiting,” Cabello noted. “[Our priority is] to rescue them, wherever they are, and that is where we have the teams deployed.”
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
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