A catastrophic earthquake has levelled large swathes of Caracas, reducing entire neighbourhoods to rubble and trapping thousands beneath the debris. The 7.2 magnitude tremor struck just after dawn, catching a city already paralysed by political and economic collapse in its most vulnerable moment.
Sources on the ground describe scenes of utter devastation: collapsed apartment blocks, buckled highways, and a thick cloud of dust that hangs over the city like a shroud. Hospitals, many already stripped of supplies amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis, are overwhelmed with the wounded. President Nicolás Maduro's government has declared a state of emergency, but the machinery of state has long been corroded by corruption and incompetence.
International aid offers are being scrutinised by a regime known for diverting relief to its loyalists. The official death toll stands at 200, but rescue workers whisper that the true number could be ten times higher. This is a city that was already dying.
Now it faces its darkest hour. The world watches, but the question remains: who will reach the trapped before the aftershocks and the regime's indifference bury them forever?
