Venezuela Quake Death Toll Climbs to 1,430 as Rescue Efforts Lag

The death toll from the earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to 1,430, with 3,200 people injured and 3,100 left homeless, according to the latest figures. Two powerful quakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, struck on Wednesday last week, followed by 20 aftershocks.

US Geological Survey data said the tremors, which brought down buildings in Caracas and were felt in neighboring Colombia, happened one minute apart at two locations about 45 kilometers apart and at different depths. Bodies were still trapped under the rubble hours later, while time was running out for some of the injured and people believed to be alive under the debris.

In the hard-hit town of La Guaira, residents said they could hear trapped people calling for help. Danny Rizzo, 48, said, "We need people. We need soldiers to come and help us so we can rescue them. I heard the voices of people under the rubble of a collapsed building." Another resident told the BBC, "There are people alive there and nobody has come to help them," while waiting for news about her daughter, who was buried in the collapse of a 12-story apartment building.

Residents urged authorities and aid groups to send forces quickly to clear a path to survivors, and voiced frustration over the slow pace of the response. During the quake, a huge amount of liquid from large tanks at a local refining and petrochemical complex spilled and flooded the outer walls of the tanks. Members of Caracas's Jewish community also described intense fear and loss of control, with Elayis Farah telling N12 that the building shook repeatedly, like being on a ship in a storm, and that objects fell as the structure seemed ready to move.