4.9 earthquake struck Venezuela two days after devastating twin quakes

Venezuela: Another 4.9 earthquake hit Venezuela on Friday June 26th, raising the death toll to 1,000 right after two powerful back-to-back quakes that resulted in hundreds of casualties and started a massive search and rescue operation in the nation.

The latest earthquake tremor measured at a magnitude of 4.9 and was felt off the northern coast of Venezuela on Friday afternoon and was felt in areas including Caracas and Maraca, two days after the twin quakes, which measured 7.2 and 7.5 and caused widespread destruction and left the country in a tragic condition.

As per the reports from earthquake tracker organisation EMSC, the quake struck about 61 kilometres (36 miles) northwest of Maracay in northern Venezuela.

The new quake came as emergency crews continued working through damaged communities following Wednesday’s major earthquakes

Rescue teams, volunteers and families continue the search operations as they search collapsed buildings for survivors and missing relatives as authorities are assessing the full scale of the disaster.

The death toll continues to rise as approximately 920 people have died and 3,360 have been reported injured. 172 people are still trapped beneath collapsed buildings and more than 50,000 people have been reported missing.

The twin earthquakes have caused severe damage across several areas in Venezuela, including La Guaira and parts of Caracas and has resulted in buildings collapsing, damaged infrastructure and thousands of people being affected by the disaster.

Officials reportedly warned that the death toll from the disaster could continue to rise as rescuers reach more affected areas as the search operations continue.

The latest 4.9 tremor has added to concerns, fear, and uncertainty among residents already dealing with the aftershocks following one of Venezuela’s most destructive earthquake events in history.

According to the official reports, damage of $6.7 billion has been estimated by the UN. At least 383 buildings have flattened. About 25 shopping centres and 13 hospitals were damaged and 1,423 infrastructure were destroyed. The country has yet recorded an economic loss amounting to approximately $6.7 billion, which equals to 6% of the country’s GDP.

Search and recovery operations remain ongoing as international partners are supporting Venezuela with emergency response efforts.