Benny Mizrahi, a resident of Venezuela, described the aftermath of the earthquake Thursday, telling a reporter that a neighboring building completely collapsed and rescue crews are still extracting wounded people. The damage extent remains unknown and the population is in shock, according to the account. The official death toll from the twin quakes stands at 164.
Benny Mizrahi, a Venezuela resident, described the scene Thursday evening following the two powerful earthquakes that struck the country earlier in the day. Speaking to a reporter, Mizrahi said a building adjacent to his completely collapsed and rescue crews are still extracting wounded people from the rubble. He noted that the full extent of the damage is not yet known and the population is in shock. The account emerges as search-and-rescue operations continue, with the official death toll still at 164 as of 07:51 Jerusalem Thursday, when Vice President Delcy Rodríguez reported that toll and a state of emergency was declared, with La Guaira designated a disaster area.
This eyewitness report adds a granular, personal layer to the disaster sequence. The twin quakes — magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 — were confirmed as the most powerful to hit Venezuela since 1900, as The Zioneer reported at 02:08 Jerusalem. By 07:51, the initial official death toll of 32 from Rodríguez was superseded within the same bulletin to 164. A subsequent report at 03:38 noted building collapses in Caracas; at 06:20, rescue crews were shown extracting a woman from rubble. Thursday 13:05, the presidency reported 20 aftershocks, and at 15:15 an unverified source claimed "absolutely psychotic" destruction with entire cities collapsed — though that account, posted on a single channel, could not be independently confirmed.
As The Zioneer reported Thursday 04:06, the US Geological Survey had assessed a high probability of numerous casualties and widespread damage. The current report from Mizrahi, from a single source, cannot be independently corroborated but is consistent with the broader disaster picture and with earlier reports of building collapses in Caracas.
It remains open how many buildings have collapsed beyond Mizrahi's adjacent structure; the full extent of damage and any change to the official toll are still unknown.
4 developments
- DevelopingVenezuela cities collapse in 'absolutely psychotic' earthquake disaster, source claims
- StrongUS Geological Survey warns of high likelihood of casualties, extensive damage in Venezuela earthquake
- StrongVenezuela records 20 aftershocks after two powerful earthquakes
- StrongAerial footage shows widespread devastation in Venezuela's La Guaira after twin quakes
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