MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuela's quake death toll climbs to 589 as the rescue window narrows

The World Health Organization recalled that the first 72 hours are decisive for finding victims alive

The number of victims from the twin earthquake that struck north-central Venezuela on Wednesday rose to at least 589 dead and 2,980 injured, according to the toll given on Friday by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who warned that the figure would keep rising. Rescue teams worked against the clock through the rubble as the first 72 hours —considered critical for finding survivors— drew to a close.

“We haven't slept a wink in our efforts to save lives,” Rodríguez said in a broadcast on the state channel Venezolana de Televisión, where she said “dozens” of people had been rescued alive. She reported that the coastal state of La Guaira, neighboring Caracas and the hardest hit, had been militarized to support search efforts and the distribution of water and food. The president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, had said that more than 200 trapped people had been located and that there are some 2,227 affected families and 250 structures damaged or destroyed.

The World Health Organization recalled that the first 72 hours are decisive for finding victims alive. Its regional division, the Pan American Health Organization, said hospitals in the affected areas are treating fractures, head trauma and crush injuries. The body's emergencies director, Ciro Ugarte, said there are currently no restrictions affecting the deployment of humanitarian aid, though he warned that Venezuela's health system was already fragile and that the country was going through a prolonged emergency, so the quakes “will generate new and significant needs.”

The emergency mobilized a broad international response. The US Southern Command said it is reinforcing its military presence in the region to assist in relief efforts: two ships, the USS Fort Lauderdale and the USS Billings, along with aircraft, were moved closer to Venezuela to support the operation coordinated by the State Department. The US assistance comes months after the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro, in January, in a military operation that gave way to Rodríguez's interim government. The Treasury Department also authorized “all transactions” related to earthquake relief between June 26 and October 23, a temporary easing of the sanctions imposed on the country.

Among the dead are at least 18 foreigners, according to the EFE news agency, with victims from Portugal, Spain, Brazil, China, Chile and Italy. Spain's Foreign Ministry confirmed four dead and a number of nationals still unaccounted for. In all, 16 countries and the UN have sent or announced the dispatch of humanitarian aid. The two quakes, of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 and about 39 seconds apart, formed the most powerful recorded in Venezuela in more than a century.