Aerial videos and satellite images are showing the true extent of the destruction in Venezuela after deadly earthquakes struck parts of the country on Wednesday night (24). Images from VTV, the Venezuelan state broadcaster, showed buildings and other structures completely destroyed.
Countries around the world are mobilizing resources and pledging humanitarian aid, including the United States and neighboring Colombia.
Here’s what we know about the damage caused by the earthquakes in Venezuela
- A video recorded from the top of La Guaira, a port city heavily hit by the sequence of earthquakes, shows several buildings that have completely collapsed. Others appear tilted and badly damaged, with walls and windows destroyed.
- The rubble of two collapsed buildings, seen in images shown by Venezuelan state broadcaster VTV, completely blocks a road.
- Satellite images released by space intelligence company Vantor show collapsed buildings and severe structural damage in several neighborhoods in La Guaira, including hotels, large warehouses and dozens of homes in the areas pictured alone. Some of the images also show signs of fire damage.
- Other images reveal overloaded hospitals, with improvised wards in corridors and even on the streets due to the large number of injured people. Venezuela’s healthcare system is facing a prolonged crisis, the result of years of deterioration and lack of investment.
- Residents and rescue workers were seen clambering over mounds of rubble and the ruins of collapsed residential buildings, searching the wreckage for signs of survivors in La Guaira.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the country will also provide assistance through “aerial imagery” to help assess damage, especially in coastal areas.
