The Interim President of Venezuela visited the city of Macuto today, in the state of La Guaira—the area hardest hit by the earthquakes—to oversee search and rescue operations, while announcing that international aid will arrive shortly.
Delcy Rodríguez thanked the emergency teams for their race against time amidst the vast amount of rubble accumulated in the streets. She assessed the state of the infrastructure in an area where hundreds of buildings collapsed due to the quakes, following a previous visit to the capital city of Caracas.
The Venezuelan interim president also spoke with residents to coordinate the deployment of immediate relief.
“We are in Macuto, standing alongside our people in the search and rescue efforts for those who became trapped under the rubble and buildings collapsed by the double earthquake. We are with the families, extending our full solidarity, and our goal is to rescue as many people alive as possible,” she stated.
Read more about this topic: Venezuela: Portuguese citizen killed following earthquakes
According to the newspaper El Universal, Delcy Rodríguez announced the imminent arrival of international humanitarian aid “to reinforce the efforts of the country’s security teams.”
“We have requested international assistance, and support from our sister nations will begin to arrive in the coming hours. Our best wishes, all our hopes, and our prayers are with the Venezuelan people,” she concluded.
The two major earthquakes recorded in Venezuela on Wednesday have left at least 235 dead and 4,300 injured, according to the latest official toll.
Among the fatalities, there are at least six Portuguese citizens and people of Portuguese descent.
Read more about this topic: Venezuela: five Portuguese nationals missing following earthquakes (with video)
Portugal and seven other European Union nations are set to deploy search and rescue teams to Venezuela.
The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck 200 kilometers from Caracas less than a minute apart and have been followed by more than 20 aftershocks, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Dozens of buildings collapsed or sustained severe structural damage across the capital of Caracas and the heavily affected region of La Guaira.
