A 5.1 magnitude aftershock halts rescue of trapped family as Venezuela earthquake death toll approaches 1,500
Italian firefighters suspended a 20-hour effort to reach a woman and her children in Macuto after a 5.1 magnitude aftershock struck near La Guaira, while the official death toll from last week's twin earthquakes climbed to 1,450.
Aftershock halts rescue of trapped family
Italian firefighters working for nearly 20 hours in Macuto suspended their rescue operation at a collapsed building on Monday after a magnitude 5.1 aftershock struck the region. The tremor, centred near La Guaira, forced the team to retreat for safety when no further signs of life were detected from the woman and two of her children believed to be inside. The family had earlier made contact via WhatsApp, with the cousin of the mother reporting that she and all three children were alive but she was the only one injured. Rescue teams from Italy and Ecuador have been listening for tapping sounds on metal pipes, a signal that someone may still be alive under the debris.
Death toll climbs past 1,450 as search for missing continues
The official death toll from the two earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24 June has risen to 1,450, according to authorities. The number of injured stands at 3,150 and over 12,700 people have been displaced. The United Nations estimates that around 50,000 remain missing. In Caracas, search teams recovered the body of 58-year-old Enzo Cuomo, an Italian-Venezuelan, from the Petunia building in the Los Palos Grandes neighbourhood. His wife Trini Adrian, 53, and daughter Isabella, 22, are still unaccounted for.
Survivors pulled from rubble after days
In rare moments of hope, rescuers managed to extract two people alive from collapsed buildings. In Caraballeda, 21-year-old Aaron Levi Cantillo Vargas was rescued after spending 106 hours under debris, an operation that involved teams from Venezuela, Mexico and El Salvador over 43 hours. Separately, 60-year-old Belkys Josefina Barreto García was freed after 86 hours in another Caraballeda structure. US search-and-rescue teams also pulled a newborn baby from the ruins in the days following the quake.
An Italian family tragedy with historical echoes
The Cuomo family's plight has drawn particular attention in Italy. They hail from Laviano, a small town in the province of Salerno, where Mayor Piero Robertiello described the community's anguish:
These are hours of anxiety for our community, awaiting news of the Cuomo family's fate. The whole town is following the situation with great concern and hopes for positive news soon.
The tragedy carries a painful historical resonance: Enzo Cuomo's maternal grandparents died in the 1980 Irpinia earthquake, which devastated Laviano and killed 303 residents. The couple's son, Carlos Francisco Cuomo, who was in Italy for a bone marrow transplant, has travelled to Caracas to be near the search site.
International aid mobilises
The European Commission has announced €5 million in emergency humanitarian funding, adding to €52 million already allocated for Venezuela's socio-economic crisis this year. The aid will focus on shelter and healthcare. The earthquakes, measured at magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 by the US Geological Survey, were the strongest to hit the country in over a century.
- Two major earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 strike Venezuela, causing widespread destruction.
- Rescues of Belkys Barreto (60) after 86 hours and Aaron Cantillo (21) after 106 hours in Caraballeda.
- Body of Enzo Cuomo recovered in Caracas; 5.1 aftershock halts rescue of mother and children in Macuto.
- US teams extract a newborn alive from the rubble.
