Venezuela is grappling with the aftermath of the strongest earthquake to hit the country in more than a century. Two powerful tremors on Wednesday evening left behind thousands of dead, injured and missing - and the clock for rescuing those trapped under the rubble is ticking mercilessly.

The numbers are terrifying. The first earthquake measured 7.2, the second a full 7.5 - the strongest in Venezuela since 1900. The epicentre was near the city of Morón, about 168 kilometres west of Caracas, at a shallow depth that made the damage devastating. So far at least 235 dead and over 4,300 injured have been confirmed, but the heaviest figure is another: more than 50,000 people are listed as missing.

Rescuers are racing against what experts call the „golden window" - the first 48 to 72 hours after a quake, the period when people trapped under the concrete are most likely to still be found alive. But the conditions are desperate: crews lack enough equipment, and in some places rescuers are digging by the light of mobile phones. The main international airport is closed due to damage, which also slows the arrival of aid.

The world is responding - teams and aid are arriving from the US, Switzerland, Mexico, Qatar and other countries; Switzerland sent 80 specialists with search dogs and 18 tonnes of equipment, and the US promised significant financial and logistical support. Such mobilisation is encouraging, but also a reminder of how much we depend on others when nature strikes harder than any system can withstand.

For a reader in the Balkans, this tragedy is not as distant as it looks on a map. We too live on seismically restless ground; our cities too have buildings never tested by a truly strong tremor. Venezuela today is a brutal question put to every country: when our earthquake comes, will we be ready - or will we, too, be digging by the light of a phone?