where thousands are flocking to makeshift health centers in the disaster's epicenter. The double earthquake, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck La Guaira state, which lacks the capacity for mass hospital care after widespread destruction, scores of collapsed buildings and more than 2,600 deaths. A McDonald's restaurant in the hard-hit Caraballeda area is receiving dozens of people with "hypertensive crises, anxiety attacks, and diarrheal symptoms," Karlys Figueroa, a 33-year-old surgeon and volunteer in disaster relief efforts, told AFP. The facility has become one of the makeshift field hospitals, with a triage area, a pharmacy, a storage area, and spaces for psychological and veterinary care. More than 30 doctors like Figueroa are treating the victims there.

At the counter where the famous hamburgers were once served, donated arepas and sandwiches are now handed out, and the ice cream parlor has been transformed into a shelter for rescued animals.  Nearly 4,000 patients have been treated at another makeshift health center set up inside a bus terminal in Catia La Mar. The first victims were taken to just two hospitals, which were overwhelmed within hours after one of Latin America's worst earthquake disasters. Iverson Medina received treatment on a stretcher inside a large tent at the bus station, now furnished  with medical equipment provided by private funds. A splint covered his right leg and left ankle, which were injured after spending 16 hours trapped in the rubble of his building. (Bssnews)