Rescue After Six Days: Jordanian Team Pulls Three-Year-Old Alive from Rubble in Caracas

Rising Casualty Figures and Destruction in La Guaira

Already on the night of Tuesday (local time), Salvadoran emergency workers reached a 44-year-old man under the rubble of a shopping center in the coastal city of Maiquetía. "Der Mann sei über einen Schlauch mit Wasser versorgt worden, während die Rettungsarbeiten andauerten," it was reported. President Nayib Bukele announced the rescue on platform X. International rescue teams from Mexico, the Czech Republic, Jordan, Chile, Germany, and Switzerland continue to work in the rubble, largely coordinated by the United Nations.

Meanwhile, the death toll continues to rise. According to National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez in a televised address on Wednesday, the death toll has since climbed to at least 2,295. According to his figures, 855 buildings were completely destroyed or severely damaged. Some 26,400 people were directly affected by the disaster, including the injured, those suffering psychological trauma, and people whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez ordered seven days of national mourning for the victims and expressed her condolences to their families.

Nevertheless, according to National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, more than 6,400 people have been rescued alive by search teams — 6,461 by a specific count so far. He assumed, however, that the actual number of survivors is likely closer to 20,000, because many of those buried had freed themselves on their own or with the help of family members, friends, and neighbors. According to UN figures, more than 50,000 people are still considered missing; the number may include duplicates, however, it was said. "Bislang mehr als 6400 Menschen nach Erdbeben in Venezuela gerettet," Rodríguez summarized the situation.

Health System Under Pressure

The authorities also report a high number of injured. "Nach Behördenangaben wurden zudem 11.267 Menschen verletzt." The two directly successive earthquakes leveled entire residential neighborhoods. Thirty-eight hospitals were damaged, and three had to be closed. There is a shortage of everything: clean drinking water, mobile sanitary facilities, emergency medical care, and safe shelter. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned, in light of the situation, of a worsening health crisis. Due to overburdened hospitals, damaged water and sanitation systems, and disrupted vaccination programs, the risk of disease outbreaks is increasing, PAHO said.

The tremors measured 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude. "Die zwei Beben hatten sich am Mittwoch vergangener Woche im Abstand von nur 39 Sekunden westlich der Hauptstadt Caracas ereignet," it was reported. Since the double earthquake on June 24, 782 aftershocks have been officially recorded. Their frequency and intensity are declining, but the danger of another strong quake has not fully passed. The coastal city of La Guaira was the most heavily destroyed. "Wie Parlamentspräsident Jorge Rodriguez sagte, hielten sich etwa 30.000 von ihnen im Hafengebiet der Küstenstadt La Guaira auf, die am stärksten zerstört wurde." Photos taken by 26-year-old German Henrik Schmalz from Baden-Baden, who had previously lived with a host family in La Guaira for two months, show cars under collapsed houses and people walking over mountains of debris.

"Wir sind sehr spät dran, aber unser Ziel ist es, weiter Leben zu retten," said Spanish helper Luis Arteaga Benatuil on Wednesday upon his arrival in Venezuela. Many international search-and-rescue teams had, however, only arrived after the critical time window had already passed, it was reported. The WHO also expressed concern. "Die fehlenden Investitionen und das von der Wirtschaftskrise gebeutelte Gesundheitssystem stehe unter extremem Druck," explained WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier. He also warned of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, diphtheria, and whooping cough, as well as yellow fever outbreaks and vector- or water-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika, Oropouche, and malaria. PAHO therefore called for international support amounting to 24 million US dollars. According to its figures, hundreds of thousands of people still require medical assistance.

Accusations Against Security Forces and Transitional Government

In Caracas, independent journalist Anne Demmer reports from a hospital that, according to its own statements, corresponds to the highest category. "Ein leitender Arzt sagte mir verzweifelt, die Krise habe nicht erst mit dem Beben begonnen, sondern bestehe seit Jahren. Es gebe kein Labor und keine essenziellen technischen Geräte," Demmer said. The senior physician criticized anonymously: "Ein Krankenhaus dieser Kategorie, das eigentlich gut ausgestattet sein sollte, verfügt nicht einmal über ein einfaches Labor. Es gibt keine Röntgengeräte. Weder einen Computertomographen noch einen Magnetresonanztomographen." Patients sometimes sit on plastic chairs outside the hospital or lie on mattresses. The crisis did not begin with the earthquake; it is attributable to government failure, the doctor added. The country has been in a crisis for ten years. "Die Patienten kämen ohnehin schon in einem sehr späten Stadium ins Krankenhaus. Es gehe nicht um Minuten, sondern um Sekunden," he warned.

The situation is also being aggravated by the behavior of the security forces. As international helpers reported, the military and the security personnel of the Venezuelan state would stand around "absolut nutzlos herumstehen" and get bogged down in cumbersome bureaucratic document checks, rather than bringing in heavy equipment. "Die Sicherheitskräfte verstehen etwas von Repression. Aber den Verkehr können sie nicht regeln," one anonymous participant was quoted as saying. Private collection points for relief goods have also been broken up. UNHCR stated that in La Guaira, "Lebensmittelknappheit verbreitet, die Grundversorgung zusammengebrochen und die Kommunikationsverbindungen weitgehend unterbrochen." Tensions among the population are rising because access to aid remains restricted, said UNHCR spokesperson Carlotta Wolf.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez is coming under increasing pressure over her crisis management. "Sie war zuletzt bei einem öffentlichen Auftritt ausgebuht worden und geriet wegen ihres Auftretens während der Katastrophe in sozialen Netzwerken zunehmend unter Druck," media reported. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez was booed during a visit to a heavily damaged neighborhood. As early as Sunday, she had been criticized for appearing only at a ceremonial meeting with international rescue teams during a critical phase. Rodríguez had previously served as vice president in the government of Nicolás Maduro; she nevertheless appeared confidently in public and called for donations. "Die Stille, die über den zerstörten Häusern liegt, bewegt mich sehr. Es gibt zu wenige Krankenwagen und die Verletzten werden teils notdürftig auf Motorrädern in nahegelegene Krankenhäuser gebracht. Es fehlen insbesondere medizinische Notfallausrüstung, Medikamente und Material für die Traumaversorgung," said Jonas Jung of Malteser International from La Guaira.

International Aid and the US Deployment

Given the situation, several countries and organizations have pledged their assistance. Germany dispatched six military transport aircraft of the Airbus type, which landed during the night from Friday to Saturday at the provisionally repaired international airport near the disaster area in La Guaira. The German delegation plans to depart by Thursday at the latest; most of the helpers are to leave Venezuela from mid-week. The Austrian federal government approved on Wednesday a contribution of 500,000 euros from the foreign disaster fund in favor of the emergency relief fund of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Qatar delivered tons of rescue equipment and its own firefighting vehicles, as well as teams from other countries, including the Syrian rescue service.

US armed forces are also deployed in force and are coordinating humanitarian aid on the ground. As the commander of US Southern Command, General Francis Donovan, told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday, more than 900 personnel are in the country, and a further around 800 are stationed at bases in Puerto Rico and Curaçao. The US military is participating in search-and-rescue operations, has contributed to the reopening of the airport, and has mobilized air and sea transport for humanitarian supplies. At least four or five MQ-