KABUL (Pajhwok): The death toll in the back-to-back earthquakes that devastated Venezuela’s northern coast on Wednesday has risen to 235, while more than 4,300 people have been injured, according to reports.
Speaking on the state-run Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said medical teams are working around the clock across affected areas, Anadolu News Agency reported.
He noted that more than 4,300 injured individuals have been treated within the public health system, adding that the fatalities include patients who either arrived at medical facilities without vital signs or died shortly after admission.
Alvarado said the vast majority of casualties and severe injuries are concentrated in the coastal state of La Guaira, which serves as a key maritime and air gateway to Caracas and hosts Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía. The airport remains closed indefinitely due to extensive structural damage.
Authorities have begun setting up makeshift field hospitals across the coastal region to manage the overflow of trauma patients from overwhelmed local clinics.
The destruction was caused by a rare “seismic doublet,” in which two high-intensity earthquakes occur almost simultaneously. The first quake, measuring 7.2 in magnitude, struck near San Felipe, followed 39 seconds later by a 7.5-magnitude quake southeast of Yumare.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said seismologists have recorded at least 138 aftershocks since the twin earthquakes.
He added that 346 infrastructure sites have been damaged, including 250 residential buildings and 20 shopping centers, mostly in La Guaira. Eight hospitals were also affected, forcing the evacuation of patients to alternative medical facilities.
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