Death toll climbs to 589 in Venezuela, with nearly 50,000 missing, in wake of monster earthquakes

republic of venezuela quake survivors depict ‘unbelievable’ intensity level

Rescuers worked through the night on Friday to save hundreds of Venezuelans trapped in rubble and find thousands more missing after two of the biggest earthquakes in Latin America's modern history smashed areas in and around the capital Caracas.

The death toll from Wednesday's two powerful earthquakes rose to 589, acting President Delcy Rodriguez said early Friday, although the death toll was expected to rise, with thousands reported missing and frantic rescue efforts continuing. She said at least 2,980 people were confirmed injured.

A website created to track missing people and shared by opposition leaders from the politically polarized nation listed 49,600 people as unaccounted for.

Spain's Foreign Ministry earlier confirmed that two of its nationals had died, with another 80 unaccounted for.

The magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck about 160 kilometres west of Caracas on Wednesday evening. Less than ‌a minute later, it was followed by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, the strongest since 1900, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Urgent search for trapped survivors after Venezuelan earthquakes

Thousands are homeless in a nation ​already weakened by decades of economic and political turmoil that has impoverished the nation, triggered an exodus of millions, and eroded basic infrastructure and ⁠services.

"My ⁠building is uninhabitable and now I have nothing. It’s just me and my son, ‌and I have no family in the country," said Suhayl Sarquiz, 50, who lost her job a few months ago.

The government confirmed 250 buildings damaged or destroyed. At least eight ​hospitals, the headquarters of the Venezuelan Red Cross and the French Embassy were among the buildings reported to have been badly damaged.

Electricity remained unavailable ​in parts of the state, while the Caracas airport was closed after sustaining damage. The Caracas Stock Exchange remained closed, turned into an aid collection centre.

With foreign rescue ​teams arriving, firefighters, soldiers and distraught citizens combed through shattered buildings, some using bare hands and torches ​in places where power was down.

"He's under the slabs and there's no machinery to get him out," said Yamileth Jimenez of her 19-year-old son stuck in debris of their seven-storey apartment building in La Guaira city on the coast outside Caracas.

Rodriguez, surrounded by government and military officials during her Friday morning media availability, said she welcomed the arrival of rescue crews from all over the world.

"We are going to rescue the people who are trapped," she said. "We are working tirelessly on this task."

Venezuela earthquake before-and-after photos show 'catastrophic' destruction

La Guaira, the coastal state adjoining ⁠Caracas and home to the nation's main airport, was among the hardest-hit areas. Streams of volunteers headed down the Caracas-La Guaira highway with water, food and medicine.

"We lost everything," said Pedro Perez, 64, an upholstery workshop owner who said he had lost both his home and business and was sleeping on the street with his wife and children.

"We hope help arrives quickly."

Near ‌the epicentre in Morón, a seaside town in Carabobo state, houses crumpled and residents had no water or electricity. Families salvaged what they could, including mattresses, televisions and washing machines.

Countries around the world pledged support, even some that have opposed Venezuela during decades of international isolation, political repression and economic deterioration under the ruling Socialist Party. Rodriguez took over as interim president when ​the U.S. Seized her ally, the autocrat Nicolás Maduro, in January.

Canada said it would provide an initial $5 million in humanitarian aid to support life-saving assistance, including emergency food, water and health care.

UN ⁠aid chief Tom Fletcher said the organization was co-ordinating international rescue ​teams and "a massive collective effort" would be needed.

The UN's Venezuelan human rights mission urged the government to lift ​restrictions on some social media, calling connectivity a "matter of ⁠life and death."

SpaceX's Starlink said it would provide free service through July 25 for new and existing customers in affected areas and was working to deploy terminals to the hardest-hit zones to help restore communications.

Until now, the deadliest quake in Venezuela's modern history had been in 1967, killing 240 people.

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