Seven Australians in Venezuela are pleading for help as the earthquake death toll rises

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has confirmed that Australia is providing “consular assistance” to seven individuals in Venezuela who requested assistance following the two devastating earthquakes that struck the country.

ABC has learned that the seven people are Australian and none of them were injured in the earthquakes.

“It’s been absolutely devastating and I think the authorities are still working out how many are missing and those who are still trapped,” she told ABC News Breakfast on Tuesday.

“This is very sad for everyone and we express our deepest sympathy to the people of Venezuela.

“We are providing some consular assistance to about seven individuals… These are the individuals we have made contact with.

“Obviously we will continue to work with the authorities to determine whether any Australians require further assistance.”

This comes as the death toll from the two earthquakes has risen to more than 1,700 people, as confirmed by the head of the country’s National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez.

More than 5,000 people were injured in the disaster and more than 15,000 others were displaced, Rodriguez said during an address to the nation broadcast on state television on Monday local time.

The update came as acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez announced that a government-run committee would be established to assess the feasibility of housing and infrastructure damaged by the earthquakes.

She added that the government will also create “transition camps” to house Venezuelans who lost their homes in the disaster while new “planning projects” will look to construct new buildings.

The search for survivors continues amid the aftershocks

With the chance of finding survivors quickly diminishing, Venezuelans continued on Monday to comb through the ruins of buildings destroyed by successive powerful earthquakes.

Members of the French Civil Security Training and Intervention Regiment identify the damaged building. (Reuters: Miguel Medina)

During their efforts, a 4.6 magnitude aftershock struck the disaster area in the northern state of La Guaira.

Aid organizations say the first 72 hours after a disaster is the most critical period of time for rescue operations, although survival can be extended if people have access to food and water.

Five days after earthquakes struck northern Venezuela, attention turned to the humanitarian crisis that was brewing in the devastated areas.

Big questions loom over whether the cash-strapped government under Rodriguez — which came to power in January after the Trump administration’s takeover of former President Nicolas Maduro — will be able to coordinate the efforts needed to care for the thousands of people who have been made homeless.

Women interact with a child while gathering outdoors with their belongings, after the earthquakes hit La Guaira, Venezuela. (Reuters: Maxwell Briceno)

Facing criticism that authorities have done too little and too slowly, the government has promoted rescue efforts on social media and state-run media.

On Monday, footage was published of Ms. Rodriguez inspecting a school turned into a shelter for displaced people in the hard-hit northern town of Catia La Mar, with survivors being pulled from under the rubble amid applause.

Such moments of hope were rare at rescue sites, although families continued to vigil in the epicenter area.

“We have to stay strong, even without food, without sleep,” said Anna Rada, a woman who was watching authorities search for her brother.

“Until I see the body, I still have hope.”

People rest with their belongings near a mural of the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, after earthquakes struck the city of La Guaira. (Reuters: Miguel Medina)

An aftershock occurred on Monday, 27 kilometers north of Carabaleda on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast, according to the US Geological Survey.

Rodriguez said there were no immediate reports of additional damage, but the aftershock prompted residents of the capital, Caracas, to scream in the streets.

“Here we are again, in the street,” said Concepcion Hernandez, who evacuated her apartment building in Caracas. “I don’t know when we will have a moment of true peace.”

Caracas Metro said it would temporarily suspend its services on Monday to inspect infrastructure following the aftershock.

Questions about the extent of US assistance

The disaster has raised expectations for the Trump administration, considering its takeover of the Venezuelan oil industry earlier this year.

In a briefing with reporters, a senior State Department official said 300 first responders dispatched from the United States were working on the ground along with dozens of other international rescue teams and dozens of C-17 military transport planes arriving daily with supplies.

Residents and rescue workers searching for survivors in parts of La Guaira, Venezuela, were seen running when a 4.6-magnitude aftershock struck. (AP: Mathias Delacroix)

Financial support from the United States now exceeds $300 million ($435.4 million).

The US military is also assisting with some repairs, including damage to the port of La Guaira to enable more relief supplies to arrive by sea.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said another team was helping manage air traffic after the quakes destroyed part of the control tower at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas.

The extent of damage after the earthquakes remains unclear, but initial estimates indicate that tens of thousands of buildings may have been destroyed. (Reuters: Miguel Medina)

It seemed unlikely that the Trump administration would grant temporary legal protections to Venezuelans as previous administrations had done to people from affected countries who were already in the United States.

This measure was taken after earthquakes that struck Haiti in 2010 and in El Salvador in 2001.

Venezuelans have been a major focus of the Trump administration’s migration crackdown, as officials have revoked temporary legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans and ramped up deportation flights.

Damage assessments while residents wait for help

The full extent of damage after the two earthquakes remains unclear.

A preliminary assessment by NASA estimated that the earthquake damaged or destroyed 58,870 buildings. The assessment relied on radar images from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellite, which can detect changes in infrastructure.

The United Nations said up to 6.8 million of Venezuela’s population of about 30 million could be affected, which could mean displacement or loss of access to basic services such as electricity and water.

Members of a Dutch rescue team participate in search efforts in La Guaira. (Reuters: Gaby Ora)

Due to the chaos and poor phone service, many Venezuelans have turned to non-governmental digital databases to report their loved ones missing.

More than 50,000 people have been reported missing in one of these databases, although it is unclear how many have been found.

Some earthquake-affected areas in Venezuela have not yet received government aid to help with rescue and recovery efforts, according to residents in some hard-hit towns.

In El Junquito, a small mountainous area about 33 kilometers west of Caracas, where Venezuelans often vacation on weekends, residents say they saw only a few government officials, while farmers and other residents provided basic supplies to the community.

“We are waiting for answers, to remove the rubble, to conduct inspections, and to help the people who are already affected,” said Kelly Ibarra, a 33-year-old manicurist who takes citizens’ complaints to the authorities.

Ms. Ibarra called on the government to do “what needs to be done.”

The earthquakes greatly damaged the commercial center in El Junquito, and collapsed buildings were seen during a Reuters visit to the areas.

Many residents, with nowhere else to go, set up tents in an open field, despite the dangers posed by damaged and collapsed buildings nearby.

“We don’t know where we will be or how long we will stay here,” said Tony Abreu, a local sweet shop owner who has been living in a tent since the quakes.

AFP/Reuters

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