Venezuela shaken by magnitude 4.9 tremor days after major earthquakes

A new earthquake has been detected off the northern coast of Venezuela, registering as magnitude 4.9 on the Richter scale.

The tremor on Friday comes days after a pair of powerful earthquakes struck the country on Wednesday evening, killing at least 920 people and leaving parts of the capital of Caracas devastated.

The earthquake tracker organisation EMSC said in a social media post that the latest earthquake took place 61 kilometres (36 miles) northwest of Maracay in northern Venezuela.

Additional details are not yet known, but the news service Reuters reported that tremors from Friday’s earthquake were felt in Maracay and Caracas, citing local witnesses.

The South American nation is still reeling from the two earthquakes on Wednesday, one which registered 7.2 and the other 7.5 on the nine-point Richter scale.

The death toll is expected to climb, with the US Geological Survey estimating that the number of casualties could exceed 10,000.

At least 3,360 people have been reported injured, and more than 172 people remain trapped beneath the rubble. The number of missing has surpassed 50,000, according to the Venezuelan government.

On Friday, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced that there would be restricted access to some of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake in the state of La Guaira.

Residents have been organising to collect supplies and search for survivors. Some have even used their vehicles as improvised ambulances.

The Venezuelan government, meanwhile, has loosened restrictions on social media platforms like X, which were blocked in the wake of the disputed 2024 presidential election.

That, in turn, has allowed community members to share information about missing loved ones.

“It’s the community that has managed to get people out alive,” said 25-year-old Jennifer Palacios, whose six-year-old son is buried beneath the rubble along with five relatives. “We need them to bring cranes to move the slabs. There are still people trapped.”

-Al Jazeera