In Venezuela, rescuers are searching for people under the rubble after two powerful earthquakes struck the country in Caracas and La Guaira, leaving at least 589 dead and 2,980 injured.
There are fears that the death toll is higher, while many people have been left homeless because of collapsed buildings or are still not staying in their damaged homes because they are afraid.
The first earthquake, measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, was followed a few seconds later by an even stronger one, measuring 7.5, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Both earthquakes were recorded near the surface, meaning they had a shallow focal depth, which made the destruction even more severe.
It is estimated that there is a 42% chance the death toll will exceed 10,000 and a 33% chance it will exceed 100,000.
The earthquakes occurred at 18:04 local time, 22:04 GMT, on Wednesday — a national holiday in Venezuela, meaning more people would have been at home than on a normal weekday.
So far, it appears that 250 buildings were damaged or destroyed, mainly in La Guaira, where the BBC verified video showing a 10-story hotel reduced to a pile of rubble. Yesterday, Thursday, July 25, people were searching there for their loved ones.
Buildings also collapsed in the capital, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said, while the states of Trujillo, Yaracuy, Carabobo, Aragua, and Miranda were also affected.
Source: BBC
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