A strong aftershock has struck northern Venezuela, causing widespread panic and disrupting rescue efforts five days after the devastating twin earthquakes that killed 1,719 people and left tens of thousands missing. The aftershock, which measured 4.6 magnitude according to the US Geological Survey, shook the capital Caracas and the port city of La Guaira, where rescue crews are still searching for survivors. The trembling earth and sounding of quake sirens brought fresh panic to Caracas and La Guaira, with many residents pouring onto the streets from makeshift shelters. Several lines of the Caracas metro were shut down again over concerns that additional aftershocks could further damage already weakened infrastructure. Search operations at the 22-unit Rita apartment building, which collapsed completely during last week’s earthquake, were suspended for about an hour and a half following Monday’s tremor. As the new week began, some businesses across the capital started to reopen, but the number of people seeking refuge in parks and public squares continues to grow as the humanitarian crisis deepens.
Hundreds of displaced families from Caracas and beyond have been camping out in Parque del Este, a 200-acre park in the east of the capital. The rescue of a man and his teenage son who were pulled alive from the rubble in La Guaira state on Sunday offered a brief moment of optimism. However, the chances of similar rescues are dwindling, with a Salvadoran rescue worker stating that
