Venezuelan priest: Some places unrecognizable after earthquakes

"The scale of the disaster is enormous. The La Guaira area is the most devastated in the entire country. Some places are virtually unrecognizable because everything has been destroyed... areas that will likely have to be evacuated and abandoned," said Father Wuilliam José Vázquez Toro, rector of the St. Peter Apostle Seminary in La Guaira, Venezuela, after the deadly earthquakes that hit the country on June 24,  also severely damaging the seminary's facilities.

In La Guaira, rescue operations continue around the clock, a week after the earthquake, in an effort to find as many survivors as possible.

The tragic death toll has surpassed 1,900 people, with more than 10,000 injured. Some 50,000 people are still missing and feared dead. Official figures also report nearly 16,000 people displaced or affected by the disaster, while 855 buildings have sustained damage.

"There are areas that will have to be reconsidered in the future, especially regarding the relocation of all the residents and survivors to other places," Father Vázquez told Vatican News.

"There was talk of a very large number of buildings that have collapsed, and aftershocks are continuing. Because of these aftershocks, people have been urged to remain calm but also to exercise great caution, since there are places that are likely to give way. Now the greatest task begins: supporting people through this situation," he said.

Father Vázquez explained that "people are still being rescued. For example, just last night, near our seminary, a 12-year-old boy was pulled alive from the rubble, even though the earthquake occurred last Wednesday night."

"We are here to help and to accompany the people. There has been a great deal of solidarity. We have seen it both in the rescue teams that have arrived from other places and in the strength and resilience of the Venezuelan people," Father Vázquez said.