SouthernWorldwide.com – Search-and-rescue teams in Venezuela have successfully extricated 33 individuals from collapsed structures over the weekend. These rescues followed devastating twin earthquakes that struck the nation’s northern coast. However, officials and aid workers expressed grave concerns on Sunday, noting that the crucial survival window is rapidly closing for the nearly 50,000 individuals still unaccounted for.
As of late Saturday, the reported death toll had reached 1,430, according to The Associated Press. Venezuelan authorities also indicated that over 3,000 people have sustained injuries, and a similar number are currently residing in temporary shelters.
The most severe destruction is concentrated in the coastal state of La Guaira. Here, entire apartment complexes, hotels, and public housing buildings collapsed after magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck in rapid succession on Wednesday. The region has since been subjected to hundreds of aftershocks, which have continued to shake already damaged neighborhoods. These tremors not only hinder rescue operations but also force survivors to remain outdoors in the prevailing heat.
Among the 33 individuals rescued were several notable cases. U.S. rescuers successfully pulled an infant alive from the rubble. A Colombian team located an 11-year-old boy after their scanner detected him approximately 10 feet beneath the surface. Mexican crews also managed to rescue another 11-year-old boy in Caraballeda.
AMERICAN RESCUE TEAMS PULL INFANT ALIVE FROM RUBBLE IN VENEZUELA DAYS AFTER DEVASTATING TWIN EARTHQUAKES
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez conveyed a message of hope on X, stating, “In these hours each life is hope for Venezuela,” following one of the successful rescues.
Sebastian Eugster, the leader of a Swiss rescue team, informed Reuters that the likelihood of finding survivors alive diminishes significantly after approximately 72 hours entombed in rubble. This critical 72-hour mark passed on Saturday evening.
“There exists a window of roughly three days, 72 hours, where the probability afterwards decreases that you can save people alive,” Eugster elaborated.
The precise number of missing persons remains highly uncertain. While the government has reported hundreds missing or trapped, some estimates on Sunday placed the number of missing individuals at just under 50,000, a decrease from the 55,000 reported the previous day. The Associated Press noted that families had listed 68,900 people as missing on Saturday, highlighting the profound chaos in accounting for the dead, the displaced, and those whose communications have been severed.
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As the critical survival window narrows with the relentless passage of time, Starlink has stepped in to provide essential communication services amidst the humanitarian crisis.
“Starlink Mobile is providing free connectivity to @MovistarVe customers in the La Guaira region, and we are working to provide free service for @DigitelAyuda and @movilnet_ve customers as quickly as possible,” Starlink announced on X on Sunday.
The company further explained that families, communities, and businesses equipped with compatible LTE smartphones can now maintain communication via SMS, even when terrestrial networks are unavailable. Their phones will automatically connect to Starlink Mobile, with optimal coverage achieved when there is a clear view of the sky.
Pope Francis on Sunday extended his solidarity to the survivors and the families of the victims who are holding onto hope.
“I wish to express my closeness to the Venezuelan sisters and brothers affected by the recent earthquakes that caused numerous victims and injuries,” the pontiff stated in Spanish to worshippers gathered for Sunday’s Angelus prayer in Rome.
