Venezuela hit by 4.9 tremor as quake death toll climbs

A magnitude 4.9 tremor struck off Venezuela’s northern coast on Friday, days after two far larger earthquakes rattled the country and left parts of Caracas badly damaged. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre placed the latest quake 61 kilometres northwest of Maracay, with shaking felt in Maracay and the capital.

The new tremor came as rescue crews were still digging through wreckage from Wednesday’s twin quakes, which registered 7.2 and 7.5. At least 920 people were dead, 3,360 were injured and more than 172 remained trapped beneath collapsed buildings. The Venezuelan government said the number of missing had climbed past 50,000.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said access was restricted in some of the hardest-hit areas in La Guaira, where crews were trying to clear debris and reach survivors. In many districts, residents organized their own response, gathering supplies, searching for relatives and using private vehicles as improvised ambulances to move the injured. Social media restrictions were loosened, and communities shared information about missing loved ones more freely.

Jennifer Palacios, 25, said her six-year-old son and five relatives were buried beneath the rubble, and she credited neighbors with helping rescue people alive while calling for cranes to lift the heavy concrete slabs still pinning victims inside.

About 80 percent of the population lives in active seismic zones, and the country sits near fault lines created by the interaction of the Caribbean and South American plates. The 2018 magnitude 7.2 offshore quake was one of five major earthquakes to strike northern Venezuela in the last century, an event that killed more than 400 people.

The disaster response is unfolding under a state of emergency and long-running sanctions. The United States was in touch with Venezuelan authorities and mobilising assistance, while Donald Trump said the U.S. stood ready to help. Delcy Rodriguez thanked him for the offer of support and solidarity.

Venezuela’s oil output remained steady after the quakes, even as power outages persisted.