LA GUAIRA/CARACAS (GNP): The death toll from twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela has climbed above 900, with rescue teams racing against time to find survivors buried under rubble nearly two days after the devastating tremors hit.
The Venezuelan government confirmed 920 people dead, 3,360 injured, and more than 50,000 reported missing, with 172 people still believed to be trapped. The earthquakes, measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, caused widespread destruction across Caracas and surrounding areas on Wednesday evening. A subsequent 4.9 magnitude aftershock rattled the capital and nearby Maracay on Friday afternoon.
Frustration has mounted in some of the hardest-hit areas, particularly La Guaira state, where residents and volunteers continued digging through rubble by hand amid critical shortages of heavy equipment and limited official presence. Jennifer Palacios, 25, whose six-year-old son and five relatives remained buried in the Hugo Chavez housing complex in La Guaira city, urged authorities to deploy machinery. “It’s the community that has managed to get people out alive,” she said. “We need them to bring cranes to move the slabs. There are still people trapped.”
A United Nations report estimated direct damage from the two quakes at approximately 6.7 billion US dollars, with the second earthquake recorded as Venezuela’s most powerful in over a century. The US Geological Survey warned that more than 10,000 deaths were possible, which would place this disaster among Latin America’s deadliest seismic events of the past century. Nearly seven million people could be affected, according to the UN’s migration agency.
International Response
Foreign rescue teams, including personnel from Mexico, El Salvador, and other nations, began arriving late Thursday and into Friday. In the beachside neighbourhood of Los Corales, 50 members of El Salvador’s rescue team deployed drones, heat scanners, and dogs to locate survivors in the ruins of three ten-storey buildings. Team head Roberto Gavidia said residents reported hearing trapped individuals responding to phone calls. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele confirmed rescuers had located a 15-year-old girl trapped with her pet on the ninth floor of one building.
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, following earlier meetings with the US military’s Northern Command and disaster relief experts. Washington pledged 150 million dollars in humanitarian aid, announced sanctions relief, and dispatched two naval vessels along with helicopter and aircraft support for rescue operations.
Despite initially welcoming civilian volunteers, Rodriguez later urged the public to avoid La Guaira city, citing congested roads hampering official rescue operations. Authorities announced road closures from 8 p.m. local time, restricting access to official and registered response teams only.
A Nation Already Under Strain
The earthquakes struck a country already weakened by decades of economic and political turmoil that has driven millions of Venezuelans abroad and left critical infrastructure fragile. “My building is uninhabitable and now I have nothing. It’s just me and my son, and I have no family in the country,” said Suhayl Sarquiz, 50, who had lost her job only months prior.
Venezuela’s oil sector reported no significant infrastructure damage from the quakes, with Oil Minister Paula Henao confirming that production and fuel distribution remained unaffected.
Interim President Rodriguez pledged a major relief deployment as her government faces one of its most critical tests since she assumed power following the US capture of her predecessor Nicolas Maduro in January.
Also Read: Uzbekistan Emerges as a Leading Operational Hub for Technology Companies
Amid the grief, Venezuela’s president took to social media to honour both the resilience of ordinary citizens and the dedication of those on the front lines of the rescue effort. “The Venezuelan people are supportive; in the face of fear and pain, people organize to help those who need it most, love above all,” the president wrote.
Addressing rescue personnel directly, the message continued: “To our response teams, doctors, rescuers, and volunteers who are risking everything to protect our people, infinite thanks. Your effort in these hours fills us with strength and hope. No one gives up in this great mission to save lives.”
