A residential building in the heart of Caracas crumbled on Tuesday morning, killing at least 12 and trapping dozens more under the rubble. The collapse at the 10-storey block in the working-class neighbourhood of El Paraíso is the deadliest in a series of structural failures across the capital this year. Sources confirm the building, built in the 1970s, had been flagged for severe structural damage after a 2018 earthquake but repairs were never completed.
Local residents had complained of visible cracks and leaking water for months. 'We heard a loud groan, then everything went dark,' said Maria Torres, 54, who escaped from the fifth floor before the building pancaked. Rescue crews are still digging through the debris with bare hands and basic tools, hampered by a lack of heavy machinery and fuel shortages that have crippled emergency services.
The Venezuelan government has declared a state of emergency but offered no timeline for aid delivery. Meanwhile, the UK government has pledged £2.5 million in humanitarian assistance through the British Red Cross, with a team of structural engineers on standby.
'We are ready to deploy as soon as we get the green light from local authorities,' a Foreign Office spokesperson said. The collapse is the latest symptom of Venezuela's decade-long infrastructure crisis, where years of economic mismanagement, hyperinflation, and US sanctions have gutted maintenance budgets. According to the Venezuelan Engineering Association, 70% of buildings in Caracas are at risk of collapse.
'We are sitting on a ticking time bomb,' said civil engineer Carlos Rivas. 'These buildings were designed for a country that no longer exists.' The British offer of aid is seen as a rare diplomatic gesture between London and Caracas, which have had strained relations since 2018 when the UK aligned with opposition leader Juan Guaidó.
'This is about saving lives, not politics,' a UK aid official insisted. But questions remain over whether the Maduro government will accept the help. Previous offers of international aid have been rejected or blocked on political grounds.
As night falls on Caracas, the sound of sirens mixes with the cries of survivors. The death toll is expected to rise.
