Survivors of the devastating double earthquake that hit La Guaira on Venezuela's Caribbean coast have described the event as 'brutal and fast,' criticizing the lack of government assistance. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
Ligia Level, 67, jumped from her first-floor window, breaking her foot. Most of her family lived in three apartment blocks, two of which collapsed completely. 'We've lost them,' she wept. Level pleaded for international help: 'We were not prepared for something like this.'
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez declared La Guaira the worst-affected area and vowed to 'save as many lives as possible,' saying international rescue teams were arriving. National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez reported 250 buildings destroyed, mostly in La Guaira.
Social media filled with names of the missing, including pilot Carlos Ravelo and the Bencomo family (Lonardys, Marysville, and Paola), who ran a daycare. Entire families of four to six people are feared lost. This is Venezuela's worst earthquake since October 1900.
Relatives flocked to hospitals in Caracas. At Domingo Luciani hospital, David Guevara searched for his aunts Andrea Laya and Gabriela Fleritt. His seven-year-old nephew Sebastián was found alive and underwent surgery for arm and leg injuries.
Hospital lists showed the multigenerational impact: among surgery patients were four-year-olds Ana and Axiel, six-year-old José, seven-year-old Jesús, as well as 73-year-old María, 19-year-old Antony, and 55-year-old Carmen.
La Guaira has faced tragedy before, notably the 1999 mudslides that killed over 15,000. But this week's calamity was even more harrowing. Two fishermen captured the disaster from sea, gasping 'My God!' as dust clouds engulfed the coast.
Héctor Morán Cirkovic, 61, was by a pool when 40 seconds of intense shaking began. 'It was brutal and very fast. There weren't even five seconds to leave. Everybody was shouting and in shock,' he said. He watched five buildings collapse vertically; about 30 buildings were destroyed.
Engineer Francisco Garcés compared the quake's strength on state TV VTV. The death toll has exceeded 920, with thousands injured. Search and rescue operations continue.