A new report from the disaster zone estimates that 30,000 people remain unaccounted for following Thursday's devastating earthquakes in Venezuela. The report describes a heavy disaster, though the figure is unverified and the official death toll remains at 164, with rescue efforts ongoing in La Guaira and Caracas.
A harrowing new estimate from the earthquake-devastated zone in Venezuela puts the number of missing at roughly 30,000, raising fears that the human toll of Thursday's twin tremors is far higher than the official count. The report, posted Thursday evening Jerusalem time, describes a 'heavy disaster' without identifying the source or providing details on how the figure was reached.
The figure is unverified and stands in stark contrast to the official death toll of 164, as reported by Venezuelan authorities and previously covered by The Zioneer. Earlier Thursday, unverified claims from a single source cited 'entire cities collapsed' and thousands buried under rubble. Later, Israeli broadcaster Channel 14 reported fears of thousands of dead and trapped.
International rescue missions from the Netherlands and Spain are en route, but rescue operations on the ground face severe equipment shortages, as The Zioneer reported earlier Thursday. The US Geological Survey has assessed a high probability of numerous casualties and extensive damage from the quake, which has been confirmed as the most powerful to hit Venezuela since 1900.
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- DevelopingVenezuela quake death toll climbs to 188, 1,520 wounded – National Assembly president
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- StrongChannel 14 reports: Powerful earthquake in Venezuela; fears of thousands dead, trapped
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