Caracas
The president in charge of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguezconfirmed this Thursday 164 deaths and 971 injuries due to the two powerful earthquakes that shook his country this Wednesday, where he assured that 30 aftershocks have been recorded in the last hours.
“At the moment, the number we have already registered is 164 deaths, 971 injured, with 30 aftershocks that have occurred since the two main consecutive events that we had at six in the afternoon (on Wednesday),” said the president in a telephone contact with the state channel. Venezuelan Television (VTV).
Likewise, he reported that a fund of 200 million dollars has been created for the reconstruction of the affected areas, where in the early hours of this Thursday the search for survivors among the rubble.
“I would like to announce the creation of an initial fund of 200 million dollars with resources that we have in the International Monetary Fund“, which allows us to rebuild infrastructure, hospitals, which allows us to build homes for those who lost their homes,” explained the Venezuelan leader.
He also gave instructions for the creation of a fund for the “immediate care of the victims of this natural disaster that – he regretted – has left dozens of families in mourning.”
Rodríguez confirmed that La Guairaa coastal state in the north of the country and neighboring Caracas, is the state most affected by the earthquakes, and indicated that it has been declared a “natural disaster zone due to the number of buildings that collapsed,” the number of which was not immediately specified.
Furthermore, he assured that in Greater Caracaswhich covers the Venezuelan capital and several neighboring cities, at least 10 buildings collapsed. In this context, he requested the support of the private sector to facilitate the rental of “yellow machinery for rescue efforts.”
Likewise, he confirmed the arrival of rescue teams in the country, including specialized groups certified by the United Nations system that, he assured, “are already on their way.”
He Venezuelan Caribbean was shaken yesterday Wednesday by two strong earthquakes just 39 seconds apart, magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, respectively, according to the official United States tsunami warning system.
He United States National Tsunami Warning Center He explained that both tremors formed a “seismic doublet,” a phenomenon in which two large-magnitude earthquakes occur a few seconds apart in the same area.EFE
