Caracas, June 27: Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said that La Guaira state, which was hard hit by Wednesday’s twin earthquakes, had been placed under military control to facilitate rescue efforts and ensure security.

“We want to tell everyone that La Guaira state is now fully militarised and fully under the control of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces,” Rodriguez said during a televised briefing on Friday (local time).

Rodriguez said acting president Delcy Rodriguez had ordered the measure to ensure public safety, maintain internal order and facilitate rescue operations by Venezuelan emergency responders and international rescue teams.

He said the majority of rescue personnel were operating in Caraballeda, Macuto, Los Corales and Catia La Mar — areas that had been severely affected by the earthquakes, reports Xinhua news agency.

Rodriguez called on the public not to travel to La Guaira to avoid congesting evacuation routes and routes used for transporting rescue teams and equipment.

He also called on Venezuelans to donate supplies, including water, food, mattresses, clothing, blankets, light and heavy equipment, including earthmoving machinery, through collection centres set up in Caracas.

He thanked thousands of volunteers, officials and rescue organisations for their tireless efforts to save lives and assist those affected.

Technical and humanitarian assistance from more than a dozen countries has begun arriving in Venezuela to help victims and support early recovery efforts after Wednesday’s devastating earthquakes.

Rescue teams and specialised equipment have arrived in Venezuela since Thursday from countries including India, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, Spain, Germany, Switzerland and Qatar, as well as from the UN system.

Wednesday’s earthquakes killed at least 920 people and injured more than 3,360, according to the latest official report, severely damaging infrastructure along the country’s central coast.

Kolkata, June 27: The death toll in the collapse of an under-construction warehouse at Taratala on the southern outskirts of Kolkata has risen to 16, the Kolkata Police confirmed on Saturday, even as rescue operations entered the third day.

Till Friday night the death count following the mishap was 15 and the figure increased to 16 as one more person, who was under treatment, succumbed to his injuries.

Right now, 14 other people are still under treatment at the state-run S.S.K.M Medical College & Hospital in South Kolkata and the condition of a couple of them is still critical.

Three days have passed since the mishap took place and the rescue operations, though at the terminal stage, were continuing on Saturday morning.

The Railways have joined hands with the Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) in the rescue operation.

State-of-the-art plasma-cutting and oxy-cutting machines are being brought in to cut iron beams. At the same time sniffer dogs have been deployed to search for survivors and infrared victim locator cameras have also been brought in

Meanwhile, a police complaint has been filed at Taratala Police Station against former Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and the ex-municipal affairs & urban development minister, Firhad Hakim and two Trinamool Congress Councillors namely Anwar Khan, and Shams Iqbal in the Taratala disaster case by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Mazdoor Cell.

A preliminary probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Kolkata Police in the case related to the under-construction warehouse roof collapse at Taratala on Wednesday, has revealed that a combination of two factors — the use of poor-quality construction material and adopting a flawed casting pattern — led to the mishap, which has claimed 16 lives till now.

At the same time, the Kolkata Police said they were unable to ascertain the exact number of workers present at the under-construction warehouse site in Taratala at the time of the collapse, as no attendance record had been maintained by the managers.

According to the police, there was no workers’ register at the warehouse and, therefore, there is no accurate count of how many people might still be trapped under the rubble.

Caracas, June 26: Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez has introduced three key measures for rescue and reconstruction efforts after two devastating earthquakes struck the country’s northern regions on Wednesday.

The acting president has ordered mobilising debris-removal equipment from private companies, establishing a 200-million-USD assistance fund, and providing special credit lines to affected business owners, as essential measures in response to the powerful earthquakes unseen over decades in the country’s history, according to National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the country is taking necessary steps to coordinate international assistance, Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said Thursday. At least a dozen countries from the region and other parts of the world have expressed solidarity and offered assistance.

Venezuela was struck on Wednesday by two consecutive earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, causing widespread destruction in the north-central state of La Guaira and severe damage across the Caracas metropolitan area.

Several world leaders on Thursday expressed solidarity with the people of Venezuela and offered aid following the devastating earthquakes that have claimed the lives of 32 people and injured over 700 people.

US President Donald Trump has expressed Washington’s support for Venezuela and said that he has directed US government agencies to get ready to move quickly.

“The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths. The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good!,” Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed solidarity with the people of Venezuela and said that she has instructed the preparation of the necessary aid for the South American country.

“Our solidarity with the people of Venezuela. The Secretariat of Foreign Affairs has been in contact with the government of the brother country, and I have already instructed the preparation of the necessary aid. For now, they have requested support with specialised personnel in rescue and health. Mexico is always and will be in solidarity”, she said in a post on X.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele stated that 300 rescuers and paramedics with 50 tons of equipment, medicines, and essential supplies are ready to depart for Caracas.