Q COSTARICA — Costa Rica’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería) reported that no Costa Ricans were injured or killed in the earthquakes in Venezuela.
The Cancillería explained that it activated its consular assistance mechanisms following the event. So far, it has assisted two Costa Ricans who were visiting the country; both are safe and were helped to return to Costa Rica as soon as possible.
In addition, the Cancillería is supporting other organizations, such as the Red Cross, to facilitate contact with people who have not yet been able to reach their families. It also reiterated President Laura Fernández’s instruction to send humanitarian aid and Costa Rican rescue teams to the disaster zone.
The Cancillería will maintain its communication channels in San José and Bogotá, Colombia.
Since 2020, Costa Rica has suspended its diplomatic relations with Venezuela by closing its embassy and withdrawing its staff, after Costa Rica refused to recognize Nicolás Maduro’s victory in the 2019 presidential elections.
It is providing consular assistance through its embassy in Colombia to assist more Costa Ricans in Venezuela. Telephone and email contact of the Consulate General in Colombia: phone +57 313 841 3850, email concr-co@rree.go.cr
For families in Costa Rica trying to reach or locate relatives affected by the disaster, local resources are available: The Cruz Roja (Red Cross) has activated its “Restablecimiento del Contacto entre Familiares (RCF)” program to locate missing citizens.
You can reach the RCF team via WhatsApp at +506 6060-8623 or email at rcf@cruzroja.or.cr (Monday–Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).
You can contact the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in San José at (506) 2359 5360, email: hespinoza@rree.go.cr.
Venezuela was shaken on Wednesday by a “seismic double,” a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck at 6:04 p.m. (Venezuela time), and another of 7.5 was recorded just 39 seconds apart, at 6:05 p.m., with greater intensity, on the country’s Caribbean coast, which caused at least 164 deaths and 971 injuries, according to the first official report.