Strong aftershock terrifies Venezuelans days after devastating twin quakes

A strong aftershock has rattled northern Venezuela , sending terrified residents racing on to the streets five days after the twin earthquakes that killed at least 1,450 people, left tens of thousands missing and triggered a growing humanitarian emergency. The aftershock early on Monday – which the United States Geological Survey measured at a magnitude of 4.6 – shook the capital, Caracas, and the devastated port city of La Guaira, where rescue crews are still hoping to pull as many survivors as possible from the rubble. Colombia’s geological survey put the aftershock’s magnitude at 5.1. Although Jorge Rodríguez, the leader of the Venezuelan National Assembly, said there were no immediate reports of new damage, the trembling earth and sounding of quake sirens brought fresh panic to Caracas and La Guaira. “I was asleep when the shaking woke me up. It felt almost as strong as Wednesday’s earthquake, even though I hadn’t felt the other aftershocks,” said Amarelis Mendoza, a resident of El Hatillo in Caracas. Aerial photo of built-up area damaged by earthquake. In the hardest-hit areas of the capital – including Altamira and San Bernardino – residents poured on to the streets from the makeshift shelters where they had been staying. Many have been sleeping outside apartment buildings or in tents pitched along sidewalks, fearing further collapses. …