Mexican priest prays for earthquake victims amid rising death toll in Venezuela

Father Omar Pérez Gabino, a Mexican priest from the Missionaries Servants of the Word, walked through the ruins of La Guaira on Saturday, offering prayers for those affected by the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela's central coast on June 24. His mission, he told EFE news agency, is to accompany the families of the deceased and the survivors, responding to a spiritual calling to areas of greatest suffering.

"We are sent where the people's need is most latent, and I have had to accompany the Venezuelan people whom I embrace with my heart and in my prayer. Today more than ever in this situation that makes us cry and tremble," Pérez Gabino stated. His visit comes nearly a month after the tragedy, as the death toll continues to climb. As of Saturday, the number of fatalities reached 5,119, with an additional 50 deaths reported. The number of injured and rescued remains at 16,740 and 6,462, respectively.

Authorities have assisted 128,324 families, with 21,470 people still housed in 107 temporary camps. The earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, left 17,907 people homeless. International rescue teams, numbering 2,278, continue to operate in the country, according to the latest figures provided by National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez. Pérez Gabino's pilgrimage through the devastated landscape, under the harsh sun, underscores the ongoing need for spiritual solace in the aftermath of the disaster.

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We are sent where the people's need is most latent, and I have had to accompany the Venezuelan people whom I embrace with my heart and in my prayer. Today more than ever in this situation that makes us cry and tremble.