Children Arrive Alone at Caracas Hospitals After Venezuelan Earthquakes

Three days after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela's northern coast, children are arriving alone at hospitals in Caracas, many with severe injuries and no family members accompanying them. The quakes, recorded at magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, devastated areas including La Guaira, Caracas, Miranda, Carabobo, Yaracuy, and Aragua, leaving thousands injured and an uncertain death toll.

The aftermath

At the Hospital Domingo Luciani in eastern Caracas, paramedics bring in injured children from the disaster zone. Yenderlin Cabarza, a 13-year-old girl, arrived with fractures in both arms after her uncle shielded her from falling debris; her mother and uncle did not survive Source: Clarin. Doctors report that many children are rushed directly from rescue sites, often unidentified except for a piece of tape on their arm with their name Source: Infobae. Lists posted at the hospital include 22 children and adolescents between the ages of 4 and 19 Source: Clarin.

Discrepancies in official figures

There is no consensus on casualty numbers. Some sources report at least 188 deaths Source: Clarin, while others later cite more than 500 dead Source: Clarin—possibly reflecting updated counts. The number of injured also varies: one report says 1,520 Source: Infobae, another says 3,500 Source: Clarin. The government has declared the area a “zone of disaster” and ordered militarization, but rescue efforts continue .