Rescue teams from around the world are continuing a desperate search for survivors after two powerful earthquakes devastated Venezuela, with the death toll climbing to nearly 1,500 as thousands remain missing.
The twin earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck on Wednesday, causing widespread destruction across the coastal state of La Guaira, about 40 kilometres north of Caracas. Entire buildings collapsed into piles of rubble, leaving emergency crews racing against time to find people trapped beneath the debris.
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez said search-and-rescue operations would continue after more survivors were pulled from the wreckage on Sunday. She stressed that authorities were refusing to give up hope while announcing the formation of a presidential commission to assess the safety and structural integrity of damaged buildings.
Rodríguez also confirmed that schools in the affected areas would remain closed for another week and said electricity had been restored to about 75 per cent of La Guaira. However, the government has restricted road access into the disaster zone, saying heavy traffic from civilian volunteers was slowing emergency response efforts.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said the official death toll had risen to 1,450, while more than 3,150 people were injured, 12,721 displaced and at least 774 buildings destroyed. Although authorities reported hundreds of people remain trapped or missing, an opposition-backed missing persons website listed nearly 50,000 individuals as unaccounted for on Sunday.
International rescue teams, numbering more than 2,600 personnel, have joined local emergency workers in the search. Rescue operations have been complicated by hundreds of aftershocks, damaged infrastructure and a shortage of heavy machinery during the critical first days after the disaster.
Despite the challenges, several dramatic rescues have provided moments of hope. A father and son were pulled alive from a collapsed building on Sunday, while an infant was rescued by a United States search team on Saturday. Colombian rescuers also saved an 11-year-old boy trapped beneath three metres of rubble, while Mexican emergency crews rescued another child from a collapsed building in Caraballeda.
Swiss rescue team leader Sebastian Eugster warned that the chances of finding survivors decline sharply after the first 72 hours, although his team had detected several people alive beneath collapsed structures before they succumbed to their injuries.
The disaster has prompted an international response, with Pope Leo offering prayers for the victims and thanking rescue workers during his Sunday Angelus address. The United States is expected to announce an additional humanitarian aid package worth hundreds of millions of dollars on top of the US$150 million already pledged.
Meanwhile, Venezuela continues to face wider challenges following the disaster. The country’s largest oil refinery, the 645,000-barrel-per-day Amuay refinery, suspended operations after a major power outage struck Falcon state, adding further pressure to a nation already grappling with political and economic instability.
Authorities have vowed to continue rescue efforts for as long as there remains hope of finding survivors beneath the rubble.
