The death toll from the earthquakes in Venezuela will continue to rise and is likely to number in the hundreds, the World Health Organization said on Friday.
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“It is extremely difficult for all our teams, especially in the healthcare sector, to provide a real assessment of the situation. Communication and access to health centers are difficult, so it is extremely difficult to estimate the number of injured and dead. According to our data, the number of deaths is likely to be in the hundreds, and the number of injured will be in the thousands,” Ciro Ugarte, Director of the PAHO/WHO Department of Health Emergencies, said at a briefing in Geneva.
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According to him, the priority at the moment is to rescue as many people as possible and provide emergency medical care to the injured to save their lives, as the first 72 hours after the earthquake are crucial.
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“Urgent tasks in the field of healthcare include the organization of assistance for the mass admission of victims and the treatment of injuries, especially in areas where buildings have collapsed and search and rescue operations are continuing. Hospitals provide assistance to victims with fractures, traumatic brain injuries, prolonged compression syndrome, burns and other injuries resulting from the collapse of buildings,” he said.
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Two series of powerful tremors occurred in Venezuela, the magnitude of the first of which, according to the US Geological Survey, was 7.2, and the second – 7.5.
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This was followed by 30 more tremors. According to the latest data from the Venezuelan authorities, the death toll has risen to 235, and medical assistance has been provided to more than 4,300 victims. Many residential buildings were destroyed, infrastructure and hospitals were damaged, and the country’s main airport was closed.
