Tenerife’s Cabildo has pledged “all its resources” to assist Venezuela following two earthquakes on Wednesday, which have resulted in at least 164 deaths and 971 injuries, according to interim president Delcy Rodríguez. Rosa Dávila, the island’s president, stated that information about the situation remains “very scattered and confusing,” making it difficult to assess the full extent of the disaster.
Dávila noted the communications are disrupted and that Maiquetía Airport has been affected, particularly in the heavily hit area of La Guaira. Rodríguez had previously declared this region a “disaster zone.”
The Cabildo has offered its support to the regional government to mobilise emergency teams, including specialist rescue firefighters, to the affected areas as soon as possible. Contact has been maintained with Venezuelan organisations in Tenerife, which have expressed deep concern over the lack of communication with many people in the country.
According to Dávila, many are unresponsive to calls, leaving uncertainty about their situations. She warned that the scale of the tragedy “could be greater than the current death toll suggests” and reaffirmed Tenerife’s readiness to assist the Venezuelan people. Dávila extended her condolences during this challenging time and is in close contact with Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo.
She also highlighted the strong links between Tenerife and Venezuela, noting that the island is home to the largest Venezuelan community in the Canaries, with around 60,000 of the nearly 100,000 Venezuelans residing in the archipelago.
