Venezuela’s national telecommunications company, CANTV, has announced that it will provide free internet, landline, and television services for 48 hours following the recent earthquakes that struck the country.
The company said in a statement that the measure comes in response to the emergency conditions caused by the disaster.
Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez has declared a state of maximum emergency after two consecutive earthquakes hit the country. The tremors were described as the strongest and most violent to strike Venezuela since 1900.
According to an initial official toll, at least 164 people have been killed and more than 971 others injured. Authorities warned that the figures could rise as search and rescue operations continue.
Rodríguez said in a televised address that the numbers remain preliminary, with casualties expected to increase as rescue teams search through the rubble of dozens of collapsed buildings, particularly in and around the capital, Caracas.
According to data from the US Geological Survey, two powerful tremors struck the area just 39 seconds apart. The first was recorded as a 7.2-magnitude foreshock, followed by a devastating 7.5-magnitude main quake.
The epicentre was located west of the town of Morón on the Caribbean coast, around 170 kilometres west of Caracas. The quakes struck at a shallow depth of about 13 kilometres, which increased their destructive impact.
The earthquakes were felt thousands of kilometres away, reaching parts of neighbouring Colombia and the Brazilian Amazon.
More than 30 aftershocks have been recorded since the disaster, raising fears that already damaged buildings could collapse as emergency teams continue rescue and recovery efforts.
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