Aftershock hits northern Venezuela, intensifying panic after devastating quakes

The publication noted that the tremor occurred five days after two powerful earthquakes claimed the lives of at least 1,719 people.

The tremor, recorded on June 29 morning, had a magnitude of 4.6 according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Colombian seismologists reported a magnitude of 5.1.

The quake was felt by residents in the capital, Caracas, and the port city of La Guaira, which suffered the most severe damage. Rescuers there are still actively searching for people who may remain trapped under the rubble.

President of the National Assembly of Venezuela Jorge Rodríguez stated that no reports of new major damage had been received thus far. At the same time, the fresh tremors and the activation of warning systems sparked another wave of fear among the population.

"I was asleep when the tremors woke me up," Amarelis Mendoza, a resident of the El Hatillo municipality in Caracas said.

"They felt almost as strong as the earthquake on Wednesday [June 24], even though I hadn't felt the other aftershocks."

The June 24 earthquakes in Venezuela

On the evening of June 24, Venezuela was rocked by two earthquakes: the first with a magnitude of 7.2, and the second — occurring less than a minute later — with a magnitude of 7.5. Many Venezuelans were at home at the time, as the country was celebrating a national holiday, Army Day.

The epicenters of the tremors were recorded on the Caribbean coast, approximately 170 kilometers west of Caracas. The U.S. Geological Survey called the earthquakes the most powerful to hit Venezuela since 1900, and seismologists predict that the total death toll could rise to 10,000 people.

Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency in the country and stated that La Guaira state has become the "epicenter of the disaster."

Local residents are complaining about a limited number of government rescue teams and a lack of heavy equipment to clear the debris. Many people have taken to the streets to dig through the rubble themselves in search of their relatives, AP wrote.

According to the UN, the earthquake damaged nearly 2 million buildings, with direct economic losses preliminarily estimated at $6.7 billion.

On June 28, the Colombian Ministry of Defense reported that local rescuers assisting in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake in Venezuela had pulled an 11-year-old boy from the rubble. The child had been trapped under the debris of a collapsed building for about 70 hours.