Aftershock hits Caracas as Venezuela rescue efforts enter critical phase

Caracas: A 4.6-magnitude aftershock, centred at a depth of 10 km (6 miles), struck north of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, early on Monday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. No damage was immediately reported from the aftershock, the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, said on social media. Residents of Caracas woke to the moderately strong tremor that rocked their homes, while rescue teams continued their fourth day of round-the-clock work in areas affected by last week’s powerful earthquakes in Venezuela. Rescue efforts have been focusing particularly on La Guaira, the hardest-hit state in a country long mired in a deep political and economic crisis. Wednesday’s twin earthquakes have left close to 1,500 people confirmed dead. Death toll nears 1,500 people, La Guaira state hardest hit Opposition-backed website listed just under 50,000 people unaccounted for on Sunday Survival chances drop sharply after 72 hours, Swiss rescuers say Father and son buried under rubble for four days are rescued U.S. official expects additional aid worth hundreds of millions beyond $150 million pledged The death toll from Wednesday’s twin earthquakes neared 1,500 as foreign rescue teams poured into La Guaira, the hardest-hit state in a country long affected by a deep political and economic crisis. Dozens of buildings collapsed into piles of sand and rubble in the coastal state, about 40 km (25 miles) north of Caracas. “Rescue and recovery efforts are ongoing. Today (Sunday) we have recovered people alive and, therefore, operations are not being suspended. We always maintain hope,” said interim President Delcy Rodriguez, after announcing a presidential commission to determine the habitability of buildings. Flanked by several ministers, Rodriguez said school classes would be suspended for another week and electricity supply in La Guaira had been restored to 75%. The government - headed by Rodriguez since her predecessor was ousted by the United States in a January raid - thanked civilian volunteers ferrying aid to La Guaira, but later tightened road access, saying traffic was hindering emergency vehicles. Earlier, Jorge Rodriguez, the acting president’s brother and head of the National Assembly, said the death toll rose by 20 on Sunday to reach 1,450. He added that 3,150 people remained injured, 12,721 had been displaced, and 774 buildings had collapsed. “We are in critical hours, crucial hours to continue rescuing lives and to build camps for those who have lost their homes or cannot return,” he said. Families and volunteers spent days pulling survivors and bodies from the rubble before the arrival of more than 2,600 foreign rescue workers, often citing limited heavy equipment and a reduced official presence, as hundreds of aftershocks worsened damage and kept residents on edge. So far this weekend, the government said at least 33 people had been rescued by Saturday evening, including several children, while tens of thousands remained unaccounted for. A father and his son were pulled out alive from the rubble of a collapsed building on Sunday as rescue workers raced against time to find more survivors. Although the government reported hundreds missing or trapped, just under 50,000 people were listed as unaccounted for on an opposition-promoted website on Sunday, slightly down from 55,000 a day earlier. Limited time for finding survivors The U.S. Geological Survey estimated more than 10,000 deaths were possible from the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes, which would rank among Latin America’s deadliest in the past century. “There is a window of roughly three days, 72 hours, after which the probability of saving people alive decreases,” said Sebastian Eugster, leader of the Swiss rescue team. The 80-member team located several people alive under the rubble using eight search dogs but were unable to rescue them in time, he added. Saturday evening marked 72 hours since the earthquakes struck. Rescued children The U.S. State Department highlighted the rescue of an infant by U.S. teams on Saturday, sharing a video on X showing rescuers carrying the blanket-wrapped child from the rubble. A Colombian rescue team also saved an 11-year-old boy, Moises, who had been trapped about 3 metres (10 feet) deep, after locating him with a scanner, Reuters TV reported. He was removed on a stretcher with a broken arm, his eyes covered to shield them from the shock of daylight. His mother and sister were killed. Mexican rescuers working in the town of Caraballeda also pulled another 11-year-old boy from a collapsed building, Rodriguez said on X late Saturday. Pope Leo told worshippers during the Angelus prayer in Rome that he wished to “express my closeness to the Venezuelan people affected by the recent earthquakes” and thanked rescue workers. A senior U.S. official said a funding package worth hundreds of millions of dollars was expected to be announced soon, in addition to the $150 million already pledged by Washington. O