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Venezuela welcomes 1,600 foreign rescuers as death toll tops 900

Twin powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday, killing more than 900 people and leaving tens of thousands missing in the country's north. The Venezuelan government welcomed 1,600 foreign rescue workers on Saturday to assist in the search for survivors as the United Nations estimates nearly 7 million people may be affected.

This massive international response highlights the severity of the disaster, which is the country's most powerful earthquake in over a century, and sets the stage for a prolonged relief effort.

  • Venezuela experienced its only other major earthquake in 1812, which killed an estimated 20,000 people in Caracas.
  • The affected region, La Guaira, is a key port city located just north of the capital, Caracas.
  • The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs leads the global coordination of relief efforts for natural disasters.
Venezuela welcomes 1,600 foreign rescuers as death toll tops 900 | Implica