Death toll from Venezuela earthquakes rises to around 235, health minister says Desperate Venezuelans raced Thursday to find and rescue loved ones trapped alive beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings after two major earthquakes that killed at least 235 people. Buildings cracked, crumbled, and tilted precariously after the quakes, which the United States Geological Survey measured at magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, hit northern Venezuela within less than a minute of each other on Wednesday night. Powerful aftershocks could still be felt Thursday, and Health Minister
Carlos Alvarado reported the death toll had risen from 188 to at least 235. More than 1,500 people were injured as the earth shook and roared in what many Venezuelans called a terrifying display of nature’s raw power. Rescue efforts moved slowly, with bodies still visible under debris hours after the quakes, while time ran out for some of those who were trapped and injured.
Venezuela earthquakes, Carlos Alvarado, US Geological Survey, 7.2, 7.5, aid, military ships, military planes, aftershocks, rescue efforts