Earthquake in Venezuela: Military takes control

More than 3,300 people were injured been. La Guaira was hit hardest by Wednesday’s magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes. The state, where Venezuela’s international airport and main seaport are located, has been declared a disaster area. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on Thursday that more than 70,000 families were affected by the consequences of the disaster.

Cabello announced the closure of access roads to La Guaira for humanitarian and health reasons. “It is necessary that everything is handled in an orderly manner and in accordance with the current situation,” he said on VTV television. The aim is to prevent people from traveling there who have nothing to do there. The aim is to minimize health risks and speed up the rescue work.

Trump called the President

Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez spoke on the phone with US President Donald Trump. Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called and assured her of US support for Venezuela in view of the catastrophe, Rodriguez wrote on the

“These are critical hours to save lives,” Rodríguez said. Rescue teams from different countries are fighting against time under difficult conditions. Experts assume that the chances of survival of the missing and buried people decrease significantly after 72 hours. More than 300 aftershocks have been recorded so far. On Friday, a magnitude 4.7 tremor occurred at a depth of ten kilometers off Venezuela’s Caribbean coast, according to the US Earthquake Monitoring Agency (USGS).

Tens of thousands of reports were received on an internet portal set up specifically to search for missing people. According to the operators, around 50,000 people are currently missing there. Relatives and acquaintances can upload photos of the missing people along with further information on the unofficial platform. However, the information cannot be independently verified.