Venezuela faced significant instability even before twin earthquakes struck the nation last Wednesday. The long-term consequences of economic sanctions and government mismanagement are vividly displayed at the Dr. José Manuel de Los Ríos Children’s Hospital in Caracas. According to Dr. Huníades Urbina-Medina, the intensive care unit is currently limited to treating only four children at once. He noted that while the unit previously handled up to 10 patients, a decade-long shortage of personnel, essential medicines, and ventilators has severely curtailed their capabilities.
Among those currently receiving emergency care is a 12-year-old girl suffering from life-threatening injuries after being trapped beneath a collapsed building. Although roughly 100 children have received treatment at the facility since the disaster, this represents only a small portion of the total injured. Official government figures now place the death toll at more than 1,700 people, with over 5,000 injured. Experts from the US Geological Survey have warned that the actual fatalities from the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes could reach tens of thousands, though accurate counting remains difficult.
Rescue efforts continue, though officials expect the probability of finding survivors to decline sharply as the critical three-day window passes. Schools across the country face extended closures, with at least 432 buildings in Caracas reported damaged. Undamaged facilities are currently being repurposed as temporary shelters for the displaced. Medical experts, including Dr. Andrés Cortiz of the charity Healing Venezuela, have indicated that at least eight hospitals in the capital have ceased operations, while remaining centers suffer from a lack of basic sanitation supplies.
The crisis is compounded by a persistent brain drain of medical professionals, a situation worsened by the recent termination of a long-standing medical mission involving Cuban doctors. In the streets of Caracas, a heavy scent of decay from the ruins has persisted for days. Families remain camped near the rubble of collapsed structures, clinging to hope for missing loved ones. In one instance at a destroyed apartment complex, authorities have recorded 12 deaths and three rescues, while 20 people remain unaccounted for.
A 4.9 magnitude aftershock on Monday morning caused further panic, driving residents into the streets and highlighting the structural vulnerability of existing buildings. Despite the government’s efforts to categorize building safety through a traffic-light coding system, many survivors remain displaced and unable to return home. For those like 78-year-old Soledad Campos Aparicio, who was injured while navigating the aftermath, the future remains uncertain as rescue teams continue to clear debris from the shattered city.
