Venezuela earthquakes leave 188 dead, 1,520 injured: lawmaker

The death toll from two powerful earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela Wednesday has risen to 188, with 1,520 injured and about 200 people still trapped under the rubble of toppled buildings, Venezuela's National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said on Thursday.

The country is racing against time to save the injured and the trapped, Rodriguez said, adding that the casualty figures will be updated in the coming hours.

In the capital city of Caracas, residents recounted the terrifying moments when the twin quakes struck.

"Well, an alarm went off on my phone. It said 'danger', 'earthquake', 'magnitude six' or something like that. I thought it was a virus, so I swiped it away, but right then I started hearing things. It was really intense - on that floor, you could hear it; debris was falling. It lasted a long time. We waited, then went down the stairs while everyone was screaming in desperation. It was truly intense. After that, I went to find my mom, who lives on the 12th floor - she was just two blocks away. My mom managed to get out, and well, those two blocks meant running through a lot of debris. Most of the buildings were heavily damaged," said Maria Auxiliadora Fernandez, a Caracas resident.

Armando Ochoa, another resident in the capital, described the devastation in his neighborhood.

"We are in the San Bernardino neighborhood. An apartment right next to ours collapsed completely. Our building is right up against it and sustained heavy damage as well. Right now, we have to evacuate by the Civil Protection order. We were inside the apartment, and it was horrible. I thought we were done for because the shaking was absolutely terrifying. We managed to get out, thinking that the whole building was going to come crashing down on top of us," said Ochoa.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 7.1 quake at 2204 GMT on Wednesday, followed just one minute later by an even stronger magnitude 7.5 tremor. Both struck near the coastal town of Moron, about 160 km west of Caracas.

The quakes were registered at a relatively shallow depth of 10 km, which intensified their destructive impact.

Venezuela earthquakes leave 188 dead, 1,520 injured: lawmaker

The Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway, the first electrified railway in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, has transported more than 6.25 million passengers and over 2 million tonnes of cargo since it began operation five years ago, according to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.

Stretching 435.48 kilometers, the railway was designed for speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour. More than 90 percent of the line lies at elevations above 3,000 meters, and it crosses the Yarlung Zangbo River 16 times. Bridges and tunnels account for about 75 percent of the route.

The railway opened on June 25, 2021, ending the absence of rail service in southeastern Xizang and bringing Fuxing high-speed trains to the plateau.

Over the past five years, monthly passenger trips on the railway increased from about 59,000 in its early days of operation to a record 153,800. Travel time from Lhasa to Shannan and Nyingchi has been reduced to as little as 1 hour and 2 minutes, and 3 hours and 49 minutes, respectively.

The freight-carrying capacity of trains operating on the line has risen from 902 tonnes in 2021 to 1,415 tonnes in 2026. Average daily cargo volume this year has increased 35.7-fold compared with the level recorded in 2021.

The railway has generated strong economic benefits, helping form a three-hour economic circle linking cities including Lhasa and Nyingchi, facilitating the flow of people, goods, capital and information, and promoting regional industrial development and sustainable economic growth.

Over the past five years, the average annual GDP growth rates of Nyingchi and Shannan have remained above 8 percent and 5.8 percent, respectively, both exceeding the national average.

Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway carries over 6.25 mln passengers in last five years