© picture alliance / Anadolu | Cem Tekkesinoglu
Six days after Venezuela was struck by a severe earthquake, a 3-year-old child was pulled alive from under the rubble by Jordanian rescue workers.
Last Wednesday, the earth shook in Venezuela, with two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale occurring within less than a minute of each other.
According to the government, more than 1,900 people were killed and more than 10,000 were injured. Experts believe the actual death toll could be much higher, as more bodies are being recovered from the rubble every day.
On Tuesday morning, another three-year-old child was pulled from the rubble.
“We must continue to hold out hope that we will find more people alive under the rubble,” said Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, in a televised address. “Early this morning, a three-year-old boy was rescued; he's currently being treated at a health center in Caracas.”
United Nations agencies are concerned about the humanitarian crisis following the earthquakes: there are fears for the health of thousands of people living in the open or in overcrowded shelters under appalling sanitary conditions.
According to a NASA estimate, nearly 59,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, with serious consequences for hundreds of thousands of people. UNICEF reported on Tuesday that 680,000 children across the country are in need of humanitarian aid.
Picture: © picture alliance / Anadolu | Cem Tekkesinoglu