Venezuela’s Health Minister, Carlos Alvarado, announced on Thursday that the death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck the country’s northern coast on Wednesday has risen to 235, while more than 4,300 people have received medical treatment for injuries sustained in the disaster.
Speaking on the state-run broadcaster Venezolana de Televisión, Alvarado said healthcare workers continue to operate around the clock as hospitals struggle to cope with the growing number of trauma cases.
“Within the public health system, we have treated more than 4,300 injured individuals,” Alvarado said.
“Tragically, this includes 235 patients who either arrived at our health facilities with no vital signs or passed away shortly after admission.”
He noted that the worst-hit area remains the coastal state of La Guaira, Venezuela’s principal maritime and air gateway to Caracas, where most fatalities and serious injuries have been recorded.
The destruction was triggered by an uncommon “seismic doublet,” in which two powerful earthquakes struck the same region within seconds of each other. Seismological reports indicate that a magnitude 7.2 foreshock occurred near San Felipe before a stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck southeast of Yumare just 39 seconds later on Wednesday afternoon.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said experts have recorded at least 138 aftershocks since the twin earthquakes. He added that the seismic activity damaged at least 346 structures, including 250 apartment buildings and 20 shopping centres, with La Guaira bearing the brunt of the destruction. Eight regional hospitals also suffered structural damage, forcing emergency crews to evacuate patients to alternative medical facilities while temporary field hospitals are being established.
International assistance has begun arriving as countries across the region respond to Venezuela’s appeal for help. The United States said it is deploying military assets to support logistics and humanitarian operations. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva confirmed that a military cargo aircraft carrying 36 specialist search-and-rescue firefighters, civil defence personnel, telecommunications technicians and a fully equipped field hospital will depart on Friday.
Colombia has activated its armed forces, police, Civil Defense and risk-management agencies for immediate cross-border deployment, while Cuba has reassigned its permanent medical mission in Venezuela to provide frontline triage and trauma care. Ecuador and El Salvador are dispatching specialised canine units, doctors and tactical rescue teams, as Mexico and Chile send experienced seismic disaster response personnel to assist urban search-and-rescue efforts. Panama, Peru, Argentina, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Uruguay have also committed emergency responders and financial assistance to support ongoing relief and recovery operations.
