Venezuela: 920 dead in devastating, back-to-back earthquakes

Jorge Rodriguez, the head of Venezuela's national assembly, said the death toll from the quakes has now jumped to 920.

There are also 3,360 injured due to the catastrophe, authorities say.

US President Donald Trump has touted his relationship with the Venezuelan government under Delcy Rodriguez. Rodriguez came to power after the US military ousted President Nicolas Maduro and took him to the US to face trial. 

Since taking office, Rodriguez has agreed to open up Venezuela's state-run oil sector to foreign companies and has announced the release of political prisoners — both demands of the US. 

DW asked Dr. Annette Idler, an associate professor at Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government, if the Trump administration will use the disaster situation after the earthquakes in Venezuela to bolster US influence there and get more more concessions from the Rodriguez government. 

"I think it is too early to say whether the Trump administration will seek additional concessions from the Rodriguez government," Idler told DW. "What we can say is that major humanitarian crises often create moments in which international influence expands because countries providing significant assistance naturally become more important partners in recovery and reconstruction."

"The key question is therefore not simply how much support the United States provides, but how that support is structured. If reconstruction is carried out in a way that strengthens Venezuelan institutions and remains locally led, it can reinforce the country's political transition," Idler said.

"If, on the other hand, recovery becomes overly dependent on decisions taken in Washington, perceptions of US influence are likely to grow. That balance between international support and local ownership will be one of the defining political challenges in the months ahead."

Dr. Annette Idler, an associate professor at Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government, gave her analysis of what the catastrophe means for Venezuela and the interim government under Delcy Rodriguez.  

"The earthquake is not only a humanitarian catastrophe; it is also a geopolitical stress test that will shape Venezuela's political future and its relationship with the United States," Idler said.  

"US support has been quickly announced but what is at stake is whether Venezuela is perceived as being dependent on decisions taken in Washington or whether Washington can support a locally-owned process of both short-term recovery and long-term reconstruction." 

 "The question is whether Venezuela’s interim government will gain or lose legitimacy and confidence."

The death toll from the twin earthquakes that hit Venezuela late on Wednesday has reached 589 on Friday, acting president Delcy Rodriguez said.

Injuries are now at 2,980, she added.

"We are going to rescue the people who are trapped," she said, surrounded by government and military officials. "We are working tirelessly on this task."

She said the coastal state of La Guaira — which lies north of the capital, Caracas — has been hit the hardest. She said that security forces had been deployed to assist as crews search for survivors and distribute food and water.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has offered disaster relief and reconstruction support to Venezuela following deadly earthquakes.

State media said Xi sent a message of condolences to interim president Delcy Rodriguez, pledging assistance after the disaster.

The quakes have killed at least 235 people, with Chinese authorities earlier confirming that two of their nationals were among the victims.

Xi said Beijing stands ready to help with both immediate relief efforts and longer-term rebuilding.

The first German aircraft carrying aid workers and relief supplies to Venezuela took off from Wunstorf in Lower Saxony on Friday, the German DPA news agency reported.

The A400M  Bundeswehr transport plane is carrying both soldiers and relief personnel, as well as  equipment and supplies.

More planes are due to take off later on Friday.

"All the supplies are from the Federal Agency for Technical Relief or other aid organizations. We’re not taking any Bundeswehr equipment with us," a crewmember was quoted as saying by the DPA news agency.

A senior US military official has arrived in Caracas after Venezuela's interim government "formally requested US support" following the two devastating earthquakes this week, Pentagon said on Friday. 

"US Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Jarrard arrived in Caracas, Venezuela, today, to oversee Department of War support to Venezuela earthquake relief efforts," said the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), whose area of responsibility covers Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to SOUTHCOM, the US military forces deployed will "utilize fixed and rotor wing aircraft to provide specialized mobility services and assist US Government personnel, search and rescue teams, and partners assessing damage and delivering critical life-saving assistance."

Two Spanish nationals have been confirmed dead after the earthquakes in Venezuela, raising the number of foreign citizens killed in the Venezuela earthquakes to eight. Many more remain missing.

"We deeply regret the death of two Spaniards confirmed by their own families, to whom we extend our condolences," the Spanish Foreign Ministry said.

"The number of Spaniards currently unaccounted for stands at 80."

The latest death toll following the twin earthquakes in Venezuela stood at 235 on Friday morning, reportedly including at least six foreign nationals.

• A Brazilian man and woman were killed in the disaster, Brazil's foreign ministry said on Thursday.
• A dual Italian-Venezuelan national died after a building collapsed in La Guaira, Italy's foreign ministry said.
• Two people from China were killed, according to the embassy in Caracas, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.
• One person from Portugal was also among the victims, the foreign ministry confirmed. 

Venezuela's Health Minister Carlos ​Alvarado said the death toll from the back-to-back earthquakes in the country has risen to at least 235.

"We've unfortunately received about 235 ​patients who arrived without ⁠vital ​signs ​or who ​passed away ‌as they're arriving ​at ⁠our health centers," ⁠Alvarado ​said in an ‌interview with state television.

The United States has said it’s deploying two warships, transport planes and helicopters to assist earthquake-hit Venezuela.

They include the amphibious transport ship USS Fort Lauderdale and the littoral combat ship USS Billings (LCS 15), as well as C-17 Globemaster and C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.

The US military's Southern Command said its forces would provide support for search-and-rescue teams and "US interagency partners as they assess damage, locate the injured, and deliver critical, life-saving assistance."

Washington has also pledged to provide $150 million in aid.

Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said the US would provide a "whole-of-government" response to the twin quakes.

Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, has visited La Guaira, a state located near the capital, Caracas, that was among those hardest hit by Wednesday's devastating earthquakes.

From Macuto, a historic seaside city and civil parish in the state, Rodriguez — standing alongside Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Parliament Speaker Jorge Rodríguez — addressed the nation, according to footage from the state-run TV channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).

"We hope to rescue as many people as possible while they are still alive," she said. "We have requested international assistance; the first rescue workers from the Dominican Republic are about to land, and others from other countries will arrive shortly."

The ‌US ⁠Treasury ⁠has ​issued ​a license ‌authorizing transactions ‌related to ‌earthquake ​relief efforts in ​Venezuela ⁠that ​would ​have ​been ‌banned ​under ⁠sanctions
into ⁠October.

The president of Venezuela's National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, said the death toll from the twin quakes now stands at 188, with over 1,520 others injured due to the catastrophe. 

Many more people are feared dead after the disaster, with rescue work underway.