Death Toll in Venezuela Earthquakes Rises to 589; International Rescue Teams Arrive

CARACAS (Central News Agency) — Official reports confirm that the death toll from the series of earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to 589. International rescue teams and humanitarian aid shipments have begun to arrive in the affected regions.

Venezuelan Interim President Delcy Rodriguez stated during a briefing that the official count has surged from the previously reported 235 fatalities. Authorities currently report 2,980 injuries, with hundreds remaining trapped or missing. A government portal for reporting missing persons currently lists 50,000 individuals as unaccounted for as of this morning.

The coastal city of La Guaira, located near the capital Caracas, has suffered the most severe damage, with at least 100 structures, including apartment complexes, reported collapsed.

Local residents have been attempting to rescue family members trapped under debris using basic tools. Despite government television coverage showing Rodriguez inspecting disaster sites and pledging support, many survivors expressed frustration over the perceived delay in the delivery of professional equipment and state assistance.

Foreign relief efforts began arriving last night. The first team reached La Guaira from the Dominican Republic. Subsequent support includes 250 personnel from Mexico, 188 from El Salvador, and approximately 100 from Spain. Colombia deployed 63 rescue workers via military aircraft today, with additional search and rescue teams arriving from Switzerland and Germany.

President Rodriguez acknowledged international support, confirming that aid teams have been deployed to various disaster zones. The Caracas Stock Exchange remains closed today, as its facilities have been repurposed into an emergency logistics and aid distribution center.

This disaster surpasses the 1967 earthquake, which killed 240 people, marking it as the deadliest seismic event in Venezuela’s modern history.