Venezuela earthquake death toll rises to 235 as rescue efforts continue

Venezuelas health ministry raised the death toll to at least 235 on Thursday evening after two powerful earthquakes struck the countryVenezuela is racing against time to rescue hundreds believed trapped beneath collapsed buildings after twin powerful earthquakes left more than 200 people dead and many injured while authorities warned the toll could rise further as rescuers struggled to reach the worsthit areasThe shallow earthquakes measuring magnitudes of 72 and 75 and striking just 40 seconds apart Wednesday were the strongest to hit the South American country in more than a century and the deadliest in decades Xinhua news agency reportedThey devastated parts of the countrys central coast and the capital Caracas triggering widespread building collapses power and communications outages while raising fears of further destruction from continuing aftershocksVenezuelas National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez told a press conference Thursday that about 200 people remained trapped under rubble We are racing against time in the hope of rescuing as many people as possible Rodriguez saidThe earthquakes were both shallow occurring at a depth of just 10 km allowing much of their energy to be released near the surface The two strong shocks struck less than a minute apart while repeated aftershocks have increased the risk of secondary building collapsesThe epicenters proximity to Caracas one of the countrys most densely populated areas further amplified its destruction Experts have noted that Venezuela has experienced no major earthquakes for roughly half a century leaving many residents with limited disaster preparednessYears of underinvestment in infrastructure have also heightened concerns over the vulnerability of aging buildings to strong seismic activity Rodriguez has introduced three key measures for rescue and reconstruction efforts after two devastating earthquakes struck the countrys northern regionsThe acting president has ordered mobilising debrisremoval equipment from private companies establishing a 200millionUSD assistance fund and providing special credit lines to affected business owners as essential measures in response to the powerful earthquakes unseen over decades in the countrys historyMeanwhile the country is taking necessary steps to coordinate international assistance Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said Thursday At least a dozen countries from the region and other parts of the world have expressed solidarity and offered assistanceThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever