Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodriguez announced on Saturday that 24 countries have provided assistance following the devastating twin earthquakes that struck the South American nation days earlier. The aid includes 521 tonnes of relief supplies, 86 specialised canine search teams, and more than 2,741 search, rescue and technical support personnel who are now working alongside Venezuelan teams.
International Response Details
In a statement posted on Telegram, Rodriguez said: "At this time, we have received support from 24 countries in the international community who have sent a total of 521 tons of supplies, 86 specialised canine teams and more than 2,741 members of search, rescue and technical support personnel, who are already integrated with our teams to respond jointly to the emergency." She added that international personnel are coordinating with Venezuelan authorities in ongoing search, rescue and relief operations in affected areas.
Casualties and Displacement
According to CNN, citing an update from Venezuela's National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, at least 1,430 people have died in the twin earthquakes that hit the country on Wednesday. The quakes also injured 3,238 people and displaced 3,142 families who lost their homes. Rescue teams continue to search for survivors as the critical rescue window narrows, with operations hampered by a shortage of heavy equipment and persistent aftershocks.
Seismic Activity and Magnitude
The twin earthquakes measured 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude. Since they struck, Venezuela has experienced multiple aftershocks and smaller tremors, complicating relief efforts. Earlier today, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre detected a magnitude 5.6 earthquake off the coast of Aragua. Earthquakes are recorded on a logarithmic magnitude scale, where each whole-number increase represents roughly 32 times more energy release. Thus, the second 7.5-magnitude quake released significantly more energy than the first 7.2-magnitude tremor, which struck about 40 seconds earlier.
