"When it seemed to calm down, everything has started to shake again"
Venezuelans spend the night with uncertainty and nerves as they search for the missing and try to rescue people trapped under the rubble
Barcelona"I was entering the house and received a notification on my mobile warning of an earthquake. Immediately we began to feel the tremor. Glasses started falling from the cupboards and books from the shelves, and we quickly went down to the street. When it seemed to be over, a second tremor shook everything again, even stronger. It was very distressing." This is how Marisol Tapia, a resident of Caracas, experienced the double earthquake that shook Venezuela. "My building seems to have suffered no damage, but the city is full of collapsed buildings," she tells ARA.
the double earthquake that shook Venezuela Marisol Tapia, a resident of Caracas. "My building seems to have suffered no damage, but the city is full of collapsed buildings," she tells ARA.
In La Guaira, the coastal state bordering Caracas, Amir, a 16-year-old, is one of many who, trapped under the rubble, is fighting to stay alive. "I think I'm going to be disabled. It weighs more and more [the building]," he tells Efe, while asking neighbors to stay with him: "Don't leave, don't leave me alone." The double earthquake occurred after 6 PM on Wednesday, local time. When Venezuelans were just beginning to grasp the magnitude of the events, the darkness of night invaded the country's streets, and emergency teams and organized neighbors had to carry out their tasks with flashlights and portable lamps. In addition to the on-site efforts, a website has been created specifically to alert about missing persons. For now, the website has accumulated over 10,000 cases where a friend or family member cannot be located.
a website created specifically to alert about missing persons. For now, the website has accumulated over 10,000 cases where a friend or family member cannot be located.
Amidst the tragedy, Tapia denounces that the information reaching the population comes in trickles. "The government only gave generic messages, and it wasn't until many hours later that it started to specify some things." The uncertainty generated by the feeling of not knowing what was happening was exacerbated for many Venezuelans by the prohibition of the social network X in the country. It was through this channel that most videos of the events and messages from people searching for friends and family circulated. Some Venezuelans are accustomed to using a VPN to bypass the block, but in the critical situation the country is in, Chavismo has stopped blocking the application.
Go home or sleep on the street?
As the night advanced, those who could have returned to their homes, despite the fear of new aftershocks. "We are at home, awake, nervous and attentive to what is happening. I am spending the night without sleeping, but some of my relatives have managed to rest for a while," Paulino del Rosario, a resident of the Guaicoco neighborhood, east of Caracas, explains to ARA. In his building, the earthquake has left several cracked walls, but now that a few hours have passed, he is confident that the aftershocks will not bring it down.
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"Many people have gathered in open squares and places where there is no risk of collapse or falling electricity poles or street furniture," illustrates Del Rosario. He has been able to locate most of his friends and family, but explains that people around him who have acquaintances in La Guaira are having more difficulty contacting them. The interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, pointed out that this state, where Venezuela's most important airport is located, is one of the most affected by the earthquake. However, residents of the area report that rescue teams are scarce, and it is the population itself that is trying to find friends and family among the rubble.
Although there are more and more details about the earthquake's impact, uncertainty still reigns among Venezuelans. The rescue of people and the search for survivors continue, given the fear that the official death toll will quickly climb when daylight comes. And meanwhile, a sense of despair invades the population: "After all we have suffered, now comes the earthquake? It can't be," laments Tapia.