Fatalities in Venezuela Rise to 1,430 Following June 24 Earthquakes

Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—The president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, reported on Saturday afternoon on the massive state emergency response after the tragedy caused by a double earthquake on Wednesday, June 24.

The most relevant data that he provided follows:

• 1,430 deaths
• 3,232 injured treated
• 430 aftershocks so far
• 3,142 affected families
• More than 5,000 hospital visits
• 7,500 triage areas
• More than 12,000 medical consultations
• 73,736 families served
• 7.2 million kg of food distributed
• 16,145 bags of food distributed to the people of La Guaira state

The National Assembly president noted that the area most affected by the disaster is La Guaira state, where the armed forces are conducting search and rescue operations. He made a strong appeal to the public to avoid traveling to La Guaira so as not to obstruct road access and search-and-rescue operations.

He reminded everyone that the rescue efforts for those trapped under the rubble must be facilitated, “which is a race against time, where every minute counts.”

He urged health professionals, rescue specialists, and technicians with experience in rescue or whose expertise may be useful to go exclusively to the registration center that was launched on Friday at the Poliedro de Caracas to get themselves registered, after which they will be taken to La Guaira in an organized manner.

Caracas-La Guaira viaduct not damaged
Rodríguez reported that the Caracas-La Guaira viaduct has been inspected and it is in perfect working condition. It is being technically evaluated daily, every 12 hours. One railing has a small crack, which was assessed and studied by technicians, and there is absolute certainty that the viaduct is in good condition. He urged people not to believe rumors and fake news.

International aid
On Saturday, 16 doctors from Curaçao joined the hundreds of international rescuers already on the ground. They were joined by rescuers from Argentina, Qatar, and Puerto Rico, as well as security personnel from Barbados.

• A total of 2,242 rescuers, 96 dogs, 40 cargo vehicles, 32 transport vehicles, 103 tons of equipment and tools, and 3 tons of medicine have already arrived from various countries.
• Most international rescuers have reported to the La Guaira stadium from where they are being directed to priority areas by Venezuelan authorities.
• More than 30,000 Venezuelan military personnel, police officers, rescue workers, doctors, psychologists, and specialized staff are working in rescue areas.
• A total of 2,697 people have registered at the Poliedro as volunteers, and a convoy is being organized to transport them to La Guaira.

“We will emerge from this terrible misfortune stronger and more united than ever,” Rodríguez added.

Volunteer registration for La Guaira
On Friday night, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez urged the people not to go to La Guaira to avoid hindering rescue efforts. “These are the most important and crucial hours for rescue and security operations,” she said.

The acting president announced that starting Friday at 7 p.m. a special registration center would be set up at the Poliedro de Caracas, where anyone interested in volunteering can sign up and be assigned to different areas. Volunteers will receive an ID card with a QR code that will allow them to participate in the efforts, all aimed at maintaining order and preserving life.

“I want to sincerely ask for the collaboration of the Venezuelan people,” she said. “We know everyone wants to help, but it must be done in an orderly fashion, without disrupting or hindering the rescue efforts.” She explained that, at this moment, the country is in the most critical hours for rescuing people who may still be alive under the rubble. “The appeal is for voluntary support to be organized.”

“Those who do not have rescue or security functions in the state of La Guaira, please refrain from going to the state,” she emphasized, “because otherwise you may be obstructing the necessary road access for the military, police, civil protection, firefighters, and rescuers to reach the disaster zones.”

Electricity service
On Saturday morning, Acting President Rodríguez informed the public that 60% capacity of the electricity service in La Guaira state has been recovered.

She explained that in the state, work is focused on recovering a high-voltage tower that fell in the Guaira mountains, while simultaneously maintaining a saturation plan in the distribution of drinking water and food to guarantee a complete supply to the affected population.

Mainstream media propaganda operation
According to experts, since the beginning of the natural disaster, mainstream news corporations have been attempting to diminish the emergency response of the Venezuelan state. These outlets have claimed a lack of heavy equipment and blamed the government for infrastructure deterioration, without clarifying that most of the affected infrastructure consists of private housing units or without acknowledging the effects of more than a decade of illegal US sanctions.

In recent hours, these propaganda outlets, as labeled by these analysts, have shifted to complaining about the restriction of access to La Guaira state, without noting that such restrictions are an international standard for response to natural disasters of this magnitude.

Venezuela’s Transport Systems Undergo Technical Evaluations Following Earthquakes

Many believe that this trend is actively promoted to sow chaos and unrest in the affected areas. Numerous videos posted by YouTubers and individuals with cameras who travel to La Guaira solely to gain clicks demonstrate how their own lack of consciousness is making search-and-rescue operations more difficult.

Additionally, social media figures and influencers have been promoting a false trend alleging massive infrastructure damage to buildings recently built by the Venezuelan government under the Great Housing Mission program, which has provided public housing to more than 5 million families.

This trend is being promoted despite extensive video evidence showing that the majority of the collapsed buildings are reportedly located in private condominiums in affluent areas of Caracas and La Guaira.

 

 

Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff

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