A mother sacrificed her life to shield her daughter from falling debris as a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Venezuela’s northern coast. The woman, identified as Maria Gonzalez, 34, was found embracing her 8-year-old daughter Sofia in the rubble of their apartment building in Caracas.
Sofia survived with minor injuries. The death toll has climbed to 128, with over 500 injured and 200 still missing. British search and rescue teams, deployed from the UK’s International Search and Rescue team, arrived in Caracas overnight and are working in 12-hour shifts amid ongoing aftershocks.
Aftershocks as strong as magnitude 5.0 have hampered efforts, forcing teams to evacuate unstable structures. ‘We’re in a race against time and the earth itself,’ said rescue coordinator James Hartley.
‘Every second counts. The aftershocks are relentless. We’ve already had to pull our teams out of two buildings that collapsed further.
’ Sources confirm that the British teams are focusing on a collapsed school in the suburb of Petare, where officials fear dozens of children and teachers are trapped. Equipment including acoustic listening devices and sniffer dogs has been deployed. The UK government has pledged £5 million in emergency aid.
‘This is a humanitarian crisis unfolding in real time,’ said Foreign Secretary David Lammy. ‘We stand with Venezuela.’ But questions are being asked about the lack of preparation.
Uncovered documents from the Venezuelan Ministry of Public Works show that building inspections in Caracas were halted two years ago due to budget cuts. At least three collapsed buildings had been flagged as unsafe. ‘The warning signs were there,’ said seismologist Dr.
Ana Ortega. ‘But the government ignored them. Now people are paying with their lives.
’ The official death toll is expected to rise sharply as rescue teams reach more densely populated areas. In the streets, survivors search for loved ones. ‘My wife, my son—they’re still in there,’ cried Jose Rivas, his face streaked with dust.
The British teams have established a field hospital in a park, treating the wounded under floodlights. ‘We’re not leaving until every survivor is found,’ said Hartley. But with more aftershocks predicted, the window of hope is closing fast.
