The death toll from the devastating twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday has risen to 589, while 2,980 people have been reported injured, authorities have reported.
The country’s Acting President Delcy President issued the update on Friday, noting that search and rescue operations are still ongoing.
“We will rescue those trapped under the rubble. We are working tirelessly for this,” she said.
The earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck about a minute apart near the Caribbean coast west of Caracas.
According to the US Geological Survey, the first quake hit at a depth of 22 kilometres, while the second occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres.
The quakes caused widespread destruction, damaging buildings across the capital, Caracas, with multiple buildings collapsing. Power and mobile phone services were also disrupted in several areas. The coastal state of La Guaira was among the hardest-hit areas.
Multiple countries have already offered assistance to support ongoing rescue and recovery efforts. Search and rescue teams from Spain, El Salvador, Mexico and Switzerland are already on the ground, while Italy, Czechia, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are preparing to deploy emergency personnel.
“188 rescuers from El Salvador arrived in our country, along with supplies, to join the search, rescue, and assistance efforts for the families affected by the tragedy of this June 24,” Rodriguez said on X, earlier on Friday.
“Welcome Mexico to Venezuela! The rescue personnel from Mexico have arrived in our country, along with supplies, to support the search efforts for survivors and the care of those affected,” she added.
Elon Musk's Starlink has also stepped in to help restore communications following the disaster by offering free satellite internet service to affected areas. Current users will automatically receive the free service, while former customers can reconnect at no cost.
“For those impacted by the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, Starlink is providing free service through July 25 to new and existing customers. We’re also working to rapidly deploy Starlink terminals and restore connectivity to the hardest-hit areas,” the internet provider said in a statement.
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