Another Powerful Earthquake Strikes Off Venezuela Coast Amid Ongoing Rescue Efforts

Another powerful earthquake has been detected off the coast of Venezuela. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the magnitude 4.8 quake was detected at 3:20pm local time (19:20 GMT) near Venezuela’s northern Aragua state.

There have been reports of several aftershocks and smaller quakes after Venezuela was hit by two major earthquakes on Wednesday, one with a magnitude of 7.2 and the other 7.5. Rescuers were still racing to rescue possible survivors of those earthquakes when Saturday’s seismic activity hit. At least 1,430 people have been confirmed dead so far after Wednesday’s quakes. Another 51,000 have been reported missing.

Authorities have said that recovering survivors will become increasingly unlikely if they are not found within the first 72 hours after an earthquake strikes. Many people are believed to be buried under the rubble from collapsed buildings, and the death toll is expected to climb.

The latest earthquake was located 70km (43.4 miles) west of Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. No damage related to that quake was immediately reported. Wednesday’s earthquakes caused the most devastating damage in La Guaira state, with some neighbourhoods in Caracas also hard-hit.

Residents, meanwhile, have complained of a lack of organisation in the government’s recovery efforts, with the situation made worse by mobile and internet outages in some areas. On Saturday, Venezuela’s government said 1,600 members of foreign rescue teams had arrived in the country.