CARACAS (GNP): Relief and rescue operations continued through the weekend across Venezuela’s coastal La Guaira state, where twin earthquakes struck earlier this week, leaving nearly 1,500 people dead and tens of thousands unaccounted for in one of the most devastating natural disasters the country has experienced in decades.
The two earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck on Wednesday and caused widespread structural collapse across La Guaira, a coastal state roughly 40 kilometres north of the capital Caracas. Dozens of buildings were reduced to rubble, displacing thousands of residents and triggering an international rescue response that has seen more than 2,600 foreign relief workers deployed to the affected areas.
By Sunday, the official death toll stood at 1,450, with authorities reporting that an additional 3,150 people remained injured and over 12,700 had been displaced from their homes. A tally maintained by opposition-affiliated sources placed the number of unaccounted individuals at just under 50,000, a figure that declined slightly from an earlier count of 55,000.
Emergency responders from multiple countries worked through the night as the critical 72-hour survival window following the disaster drew to a close. Sebastian Eugster, leading the Swiss rescue contingent, noted that the probability of finding survivors alive drops sharply once three days have passed since a seismic event of this scale.
Despite the grim odds, rescuers continued to record breakthroughs. A father and son were pulled from beneath a collapsed structure on Sunday after spending four days trapped under debris. Several children were also brought to safety over the weekend, including an infant retrieved by American rescue personnel and two boys aged eleven, one saved by a Colombian team and another by Mexican rescuers working in the town of Caraballeda.
Search dogs deployed by the Swiss team helped locate multiple individuals within the rubble, though not all could be reached in time. Hundreds of aftershocks continued to hamper operations and unsettle residents throughout the region.
International Response Expands
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez, addressing the nation alongside senior ministers, confirmed that rescue operations were ongoing and that survivors were still being found. She announced the formation of a presidential commission to assess the structural safety of buildings across the affected zone and stated that electricity supply to La Guaira had been restored to 75 percent capacity. School closures were extended for an additional week.
Rodriguez also acknowledged the contributions of civilian volunteers who had been transporting aid into La Guaira in the early days following the disaster, though authorities subsequently restricted civilian vehicle access to the main road to allow emergency convoys to move more efficiently.
On the international front, a senior United States official indicated that a substantially expanded aid package, potentially worth several hundred million dollars, was expected to be announced imminently. This would come in addition to the 150 million dollars already committed by Washington in the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes.
Pope Leo expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people during his Sunday address in Rome, conveying his condolences to those affected and acknowledging the efforts of rescue teams on the ground.
Also Read: Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses 900 as Search for Survivors Intensifies
Broader Context
The United States Geological Survey had projected that fatalities from the two earthquakes could exceed 10,000, which would place the disaster among the most lethal seismic events recorded in Latin America over the past hundred years. Venezuela, already navigating a prolonged economic and political crisis, now faces an additional humanitarian challenge of extraordinary scale.
The country’s largest oil refining facility, the Amuay plant in Falcon state, was also reported to have suspended operations on Sunday following a major power outage in the region, adding pressure to an already strained national infrastructure.
Rescue operations are expected to continue in the coming days, with authorities maintaining that hope has not been abandoned while signs of life continue to emerge from the debris.
Managing Editor at Global News Pakistan (GNP), with a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Riphah International University, graduated with a Gold Medal. Reach out at sabahtareengnp@gmail.com
