Venezuela Earthquakes: US Military Arrives for Aid as Death Toll Rises, Thousands Missing

The US military has arrived in Venezuela to assist with coordinating aid efforts in the country, the military said on Thursday, after two devastating earthquakes struck overnight on Wednesday. US Southern Command stated it was supporting relief operations on Friday, adding that the interim government of Venezuela had formally requested American support. The military is to provide specialised equipment and assist with search and rescue efforts.

Acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Friday that at least 2,980 people were injured in the double earthquake, while nearly 50,000 are missing. She stated, "We are going to rescue the people who are trapped," and added, "We are working tirelessly on this task." Rescuers continued to search through mounds of rubble after tremors of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck within 39 seconds of each other west of the capital Caracas. The US Geological Survey said there was a 44 per cent probability that fatalities could exceed 10,000.

Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said late Thursday that the death toll had risen to around 235, with at least 4,300 people injured. The number of casualties is expected to climb after the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude quakes that caused widespread damage and were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century.

People in Venezuela and abroad are desperately searching for their missing loved ones, posting images online. In one scene of hope, Graciela Mora was pulled alive and conscious from the rubble by emergency workers and volunteers.

New satellite images have laid bare the devastating destruction wrought by the double earthquake. Interim president Delcy Rodriguez declared a state of emergency after the earthquakes caused building collapses in the capital and forced the closure of the nation’s main international airport.

Among those affected, former New York Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia, 36, claimed he narrowly escaped death in a Caracas hotel thanks to "divine intervention" after an elevator delivered him to the wrong floor. He also stated he rescued an elderly man from the building before it collapsed.

Foreign nationals are among the confirmed dead, including two Chinese nationals and two Brazilians. Brazil's foreign ministry confirmed the deaths and is assisting relatives. China urged its citizens in Venezuela to take precautions against aftershocks. Portugal's foreign ministry reported one citizen pulled alive from rubble died on the way to the hospital. An Italian-Venezuelan man with dual citizenship also died.

Andrea Bello, the wife of Venezuelan footballer Héctor Bello, died while trying to protect her surviving daughter during a building collapse in La Guaira. Giselle Reyes, a 1985 Miss Venezuela beauty pageant, confirmed the death of her mother from the earthquakes.