Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Surges

A pair of powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening, the first a 7.2 magnitude and a second, more powerful 7.5 magnitude quake less than a minute later. The epicenter was near La Guaira, along the coastline, and the damage has been catastrophic. In a single mile stretch of La Guaira, 22 high-rise buildings collapsed. The death toll, which stood at roughly 200 on Friday morning, has surged to 1,400 and is still rising. Satellite data from Oregon State University estimates that some 60,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed. The UN reports that 55,000 people remain unaccounted for. More than 12,000 people have been displaced from their homes. Dozens of hospitals were damaged or impacted, and those still open are operating at capacity and under severe strain for medical supplies. The humanitarian crisis was already severe before the quakes; the disaster has compounded it. Two U.S. urban search-and-rescue teams have arrived with high-tech equipment and have already helped pull survivors from the rubble, including a man and his son and a woman with her infant. But the critical window for finding people alive is quickly closing.

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