A video showing the moment an earthquake struck Caracas airport has gone viral, but for British viewers, the footage is a stark reminder of the gulf between our building codes and those abroad. The quake, which registered 6.1 on the Richter scale, sent passengers scrambling as ceiling panels fell and lights swayed precariously.
Yet, amidst the chaos, the airport structure held. Critics are pointing to the role of British engineering standards, which were allegedly used in the airport's construction. But for the working families of the North, this is a distant concern.
Their focus is on the cost of rebuilding homes and the price of lentils, both on the rise. The union for airport workers, representing staff across the UK, has issued a statement calling for a review of safety protocols in British airports, citing the Caracas footage as a 'wake-up call'. Meanwhile, the government's response has been characteristically slow, with officials mulling over a feasibility study on the risk of earthquakes to British infrastructure.
As one Sheffield steelworker put it, 'It's all well and good when it happens somewhere else, but wait until it's your street.
