Venezuelans hope online posts will bring news of missing after devastating earthquakes

Venezuelans hope online posts will bring news of missing after devastating earthquakes as relatives use social media and digital registries to locate loved ones. After two back-to-back quakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening, Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said late Thursday the death toll had reached around 235 and at least 4,300 people were injured. The earthquakes caused widespread damage and were among the strongest in more than a century. With communications patchy, families posted photos and “missing” flyers on WhatsApp, Facebook and X, and some relied on independent online registries listing up to 40,000 people missing, surpassing the official government count. The UN human rights mission urged the government to restore timely access to reliable online information, citing restrictions on platforms including X and Signal blocked in August 2024.