The United Nations said on Friday the humanitarian system "is moving very fast and at scale" to respond to the earthquakes that killed at least 589 people and left thousands injured in Venezuela.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced the new toll early Friday, surrounded by government and military officials as she welcomed the arrival of rescue crews from all over the world.
“We are going to rescue the people who are trapped,” she said. “We are working tirelessly on this task.”
She said the state of La Guaira has been hardest hit by the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck Wednesday evening, noting that it has been militarized as crews search for survivors and distribute food and water.
World Rallies
Speaking in a U.N. press briefing in Geneva, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesperson Jens Laerke said 25 teams from more than a dozen countries, totalling around 1,000 rescue and aid personnel, are set to arrive in Venezuela by Saturday."Top priority: search and rescue," he said.
Rescuers were working on Friday to save hundreds of Venezuelans trapped in rubble and find thousands more missing after two of the biggest earthquakes in Latin America's modern history smashed areas in and around the capital, Caracas.
Mexico has sent 250 rescuers, El Salvador 188, and Spain nearly 100, and a Colombian air force plane carrying 63 rescue crew was on its way on Friday morning. Switzerland and Germany have also sent rescue crews, and many of the teams bring with them search dogs, sound equipment, and specialized gear.
The U.S. has said it is mobilizing $150 million in aid, while other countries like Colombia, Switzerland, and El Salvador are also sending equipment and supplies.
Washington eased long-time sanctions on the socialist country to allow earthquake aid that would otherwise be prohibited, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would send rescue teams and the Pentagon would help support Caracas' damaged airport.
The International Organisation for Migration said on Friday it estimates up to 6.76 million people have been affected by the disaster, including 2 million in Caracas alone.
Ciro Ugarte, emergency director for the U.N.'s Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization, said the death toll will continue to increase in the coming days as rescue operations continue. He added that hospitals are treating injuries such as broken bones, head injuries, and burns resulting from building collapse.
Rodriguez on Friday morning thanked countries for their support and said foreign teams were distributed among different areas.
The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 tremors, two of the biggest earthquakes in Latin America's modern history, struck about 100 miles west of Caracas on Wednesday evening as Venezuelans were enjoying a public holiday.
The U.S. Geological Survey has predicted more than 10,000 deaths.