LA GUAIRA, July 04 (v7n): Fast-food restaurants and bus terminals have been transformed into makeshift field hospitals in Venezuela’s coastal state of La Guaira, the epicenter of a devastating double earthquake that has claimed more than 2,600 lives.
Following consecutive 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that caused widespread destruction and collapsed over 150 local structures, the region’s established medical infrastructure has completely broken down. In the hard-hit Caraballeda area, a local McDonald's has been converted into an emergency clinic run by volunteer doctors. IV fluid bags hang from the ceiling, the burger counters distribute donated sandwiches, and the ice cream station serves as a temporary shelter for rescued pets.
Meanwhile, a bus terminal in Catia La Mar has been equipped with private funding to treat nearly 4,000 patients. Healthcare workers at these makeshift hubs are dealing with an influx of injuries from the rubble, alongside rising cases of acute anxiety, dehydration, and diarrheal symptoms. The United Nations and medical experts have raised critical alarms regarding overcrowding at these makeshift facilities, warning that a lack of clean water and proper sanitation creates a severe risk for epidemic disease outbreaks across the disaster zone.
end/wd/rh/
