Rescue operations are in full swing in Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes devastated large parts of the country. The official death toll has risen to 1,430, with more than 3,000 people injured. The coastal region of La Guaira is particularly hard hit, where hundreds of buildings collapsed.
Relatives are digging through the rubble with their bare hands to find missing family members. Andreyna Valerio is searching for her two-year-old son Santiago and her partner Ramses Mendoza, who are trapped under the ruins of their home. “I believe my son is alive,” she said. Other children, including a nine-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl, are also missing.
Rescue teams from El Salvador and Spain arrived on Saturday but were initially unable to enter the collapsed buildings. Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, announced that teams from ten countries are expected. Power supply in the region has been restored to 60 percent. Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, described the quakes as “the greatest disaster to hit the country in 123 years.”
Source: www.bbc.com
