Earthquake and devastation: awaiting international aid and with thousands of people missing, Venezuela enters the 3rd day of searches

Video shows moment when building collapsed in Venezuela
Venezuela enters this Saturday (27) the third day of searching for victims of the earthquake, still awaiting the arrival of international aid to search for and rescue people who are still in the rubble.
According to the government's provisional report, 920 people died in the tremors last Wednesday (26), 3,360 were injured and 4,000 are homeless. Almost 400 buildings were damaged or completely collapsed.
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The real number of victims, however, could be much higher. The United Nations (UN) Humanitarian Aid Office estimates that the number of people missing in the tragedy is more than 50 thousand.
➡ On Wednesday night (24), two consecutive earthquakes hit the northern region of the country, where Caracas is located. In addition to the deaths, the tremors collapsed buildings and left a trail of destruction in the Venezuelan capital and surrounding areas. The earthquakes were the strongest in the country in more than 100 years.
Man searches for relatives in the rubble of a building in La Guaira, Venezuela
Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo
Residents sifting through the rubble of their homes on Friday (26) reported seeing few state rescue teams in the hardest-hit areas.
The lack of help worsens the desperation of families, as the pressure to find buried survivors increases by the hour.
Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours is a crucial period for rescuing people alive, although this timeframe can be extended if they have access to food and water.
On Friday night, Venezuelan authorities announced that they would block access to La Guaira, the epicenter of the destruction, as chaos and traffic began to hamper search operations.
Government representatives said that those wishing to enter would need to obtain official permits, but provided few details about who would be allowed to enter. in the area.
Rescue teams search for people trapped in the wreckage following an earthquake in La Guaira, Venezuela
Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo
Meanwhile, a broad international aid operation is gaining momentum, with dozens of rescue teams from around the world arriving in Venezuela or expected to arrive soon.
A Brazilian Air Force (FAB) flight took off on Friday carrying humanitarian aid and search teams, and a field hospital is expected to be taken by the Brazilian military this Saturday.
On Friday, a new earthquake of magnitude 4.9 was felt in Caracas. The most recent earthquake is considerably weaker than those recorded on Wednesday (24) and which triggered the tragedy, but it could also cause damage, as the structures of many of the buildings are already weakened.
The country's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, also announced that her government will "militarize" the regions most affected by the tragedy. La Guaira, a coastal area on the outskirts of Caracas, is within the so-called "disaster zone" also stipulated by the Venezuelan government.
Image shows destruction in Catia La Mar, Venezuela, after earthquake
Federico Parra/AFP
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VIDEO shows the moment a building collapses in Venezuela after earthquakes
The earthquakes
Understand earthquake in Venezuela
Art/g1
Double earthquake
The double earthquake that shook Venezuela had two tremors that occurred less than a minute apart and with a difference of 5 kilometers between the epicenters. The epicenter of the strongest tremor was recorded in the Venezuelan city of El Guayabo, 168 km from the capital Caracas.
Replicas occurred in coastal cities close to the Venezuelan capital, such as La Guaira, which was heavily destroyed. Maiquetía international airport, which serves Caracas, was also closed.
In addition to the intensity of the tremors - of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 - the shallow depth of the two tremors also explains the trail of destruction left behind. This is because the closer to the ground, the more the earthquake is felt.
The tremors also occurred in densely populated areas. A calculation made by the US Geological Survey estimated, based on these variables, that the death toll could exceed 10 thousand people.
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Source: G1