More earthquakes rock Venezuela as death toll rises to 1,430
Two more tremors have struck off Venezuela’s northern coast as the South American nation continues to grapple with the devastation left by Wednesday’s twin earthquakes.
The quakes occurred less than 24 hours apart on Saturday, measuring a moderate 4.7 and 4.8, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The first struck 54 kilometers from the city of El Limón in the northern state of Aragua, followed by another 35 kilometers from the same city. The extent of the damage caused by the new quakes remains unclear.
Venezuelan authorities have raised the death toll from Wednesday’s back-to-back magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes to 1,430. The disaster is the deadliest seismic event in the country’s modern history, with the nation’s capital Caracas and La Guaira suffering the heaviest damage. More than 3,200 people were reportedly injured.
Rescue operations are continuing, with more than 50,000 people reported missing. Over 1,600 foreign specialists have joined the effort, according to the government.
The deadliest previous earthquake in Venezuela’s recent history struck in 1967, killing around 300 people and injuring some 1,600 in Caracas. Another struck the country’s northeast in 1997, resulting in at least 81 deaths.
