‘Golden window’ for rescuing survivors trapped beneath the rubble has passed
More than three days after twin earthquakes devastated Venezuela, the critical 72-hour “golden window” for rescuing survivors trapped beneath the rubble has passed, dimming hopes of finding more people alive.Venezuela’s atnional assembly president Jorge Rodríguez said the death toll has climbed to at least 1,430, with 3,238 people injured and 3,142 families left homeless.A Venezuelan official said on Saturday that at least 430 aftershocks have been recorded since the twin earthquakes struck, as cited by CNN.Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez said on Saturday that 24 countries have sent humanitarian aid and a total of 2,741 rescue personnel to support search-and-rescue operations following the twin earthquakes.The rescue teams include personnel from Mexico, the United States, El Salvador, Switzerland, Colombia, Spain, Ecuador, Chile, the Dominican Republic and Panama.Rodríguez said mobile hospitals were arriving in the country, while the United States was working to deploy additional Starlink terminals to improve connectivity, which has hampered communication with affected areas and left many families waiting for news of loved ones.Authorities also said power crews had restored about 60 per cent of the electricity supply in La Guaira, the coastal state worst affected by the twin earthquakes.An estimated 680,000 children are also in need of humanitarian assistance, according to UNICEF.In a statement released on Sunday, UNICEF said hospitals across Caracas and the states of La Guaira, Carabobo, Aragua and Falcón had sustained severe damage, pushing some healthcare facilities to critical capacity and disrupting essential care for pregnant women and children.
