On the 25th local time, Venezuelan Health Minister Alvarado said in a telephone interview with the national television that after the strong earthquake, the country's medical institutions have registered a death toll of 235, with another 4,300 injured.
A Venezuelan website registering missing persons from the earthquake showed that as of the evening of the 25th (morning of the 26th Malaysia time), more than 46,000 people were still unaccounted for, but these figures remain unverified.
● Foreign Nationals Killed and Missing
According to information released by the Chinese Embassy in Venezuela, preliminary statistics confirm that two Chinese citizens died in the earthquake. Spain also announced that two of its citizens were killed and 80 are missing.
Venezuela's northern region was hit by two strong earthquakes just under a minute apart on the evening of the 24th. The U.S. Geological Survey measured magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, respectively. The earthquakes caused many buildings to crack, collapse, or tilt. Strong aftershocks could still be felt on the 25th. The central coastal region is the worst-affected area.
Amid the violent shaking and rumbling of the earth, many Venezuelans understandably panicked, saying this displayed “the terrifying, primal power of nature.”
● Survival Window Is Closing
Currently, rescue progress is slow. Victims' bodies are still visible under the rubble, and for some trapped or injured survivors, every minute and second of the survival window is slipping away.
In a city in Vargas state, north of the capital Caracas and among the hardest hit, residents could do nothing but listen as a young girl called for help for several hours, unable to offer aid.
“We need more people... we need soldiers to help so we can get her out,” said resident Rizzo, 48.
Local residents later told AFP that not long afterward, the girl unfortunately passed away.
“We Can’t Do Anything”
Elsewhere, the voices of three survivors could still be heard from beneath the ruins. But resident Bermudez said in despair: “They are still alive... but we can't do anything. We have no tools, no way to help them at all.”
An anonymous doctor from Domingo Luciani Hospital reported that several children, once rescued from the rubble, were sent to the hospital alone by ambulance.
He said, “Some of the children could state their names, while others arrived with nothing but an identification tape stuck on their arms.”