María del Coro Barriola, 81 years old and originally from San Sebastián, remains missing after the two earthquakes that have shaken Venezuela. He lived in the Bahía Mar building in La Guaira, one of the most affected areas. “The area is totally destroyed, the building completely collapsed,” says his nephew Sergio Sierra in At last. ““We urgently ask that national and international authorities can come with heavy machinery and equipment to rescue our relatives.”
Sierra warns that every second counts to find her alive, since the help of family and neighbors is not enough. “We know that they are doing everything possible, but we call on the rescue team and Spanish authorities so that they can increase their forces and help us rescue our aunt.”
The area is completely destroyed, the building completely collapsed
He points out that the aid is very complex for logistical reasons, since the access highway is partially destroyed. Given the lack of resources from the Venezuelan State, currently it is the neighbors themselves and some fire teams in the area who are trying to clear debris by hand. “There is a group of neighbors who are doing everything possible, but they require heavy machinery.”
More than 500 victims and almost 3,000 injured
So far, official data point to a total of 589 deaths and 2,980 injuries due to the earthquakes registered in the country. The president in charge, Delcy Rodríguez, has stated that the state of La Guaira has been “militarized” after being declared a natural disaster area “due to the magnitude of the impact, which has devastated entire areas” and caused the collapse of hundreds of buildings.
“We have to regret the figure of 589 deaths, but we have also rescued dozens of people alive; this makes us happy,” he stated, before clarifying that 214 aftershocks have been recorded, which “demonstrates the great seismic activity in the territory.”
Among the fatalities are four Spaniards, one of them the director of the Canary Islands Office in Venezuela, Isabel Jara, while the number of missing people is 99, according to the latest available data.
