Rescue teams raced against time across northern Venezuela on Thursday as survivors remained trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
After two powerful earthquakes killed at least 235 people and injured more than 4,300, according to the country’s health ministry. Authorities warned the toll was expected to climb as thousands remained unaccounted for following the twin earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, that struck within a minute of each other on Wednesday evening. The quakes, among the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century, were felt across neighbouring countries and triggered evacuations as far away as Brazil’s Amazon region.
Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said many victims died before reaching medical facilities or succumbed to their injuries shortly after arriving.
“Unfortunately, around 235 people arrived without vital signs or died upon reaching our health facilities,” Alvarado told state media.
DESPERATE SEARCH FOR SURVIVORS
The worst destruction was reported in the coastal state of La Guaira, where collapsed buildings buried residents beneath concrete and twisted metal. Venezuela’s main international airport, located in the state, was shut after sustaining damage, complicating the arrival of relief supplies and rescue teams.
Across affected areas, residents joined emergency workers in digging through rubble with bare hands and basic tools, searching for missing family members.
In Caracas, Dayana Delgado said neighbours—not heavy rescue equipment—were leading the search for survivors.
“I want to know where my child is, whether he’s trapped or safe in a shelter,” she said as she searched for her missing eight-year-old son.
State television broadcast images of rescuers pulling survivors from the debris, while grieving families waited nearby for news of missing relatives. In one rescue, crews freed a woman trapped beneath a collapsed concrete slab after spotting one of her feet protruding from the rubble.
GOVERNMENT DECLARES EMERGENCY
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared a nationwide state of emergency and appealed to businesses to provide heavy machinery for rescue operations.
“Our priority is to rescue as many people alive as possible,” Rodríguez said, describing La Guaira as a “disaster zone.”
She also announced a $200 million reconstruction fund to rebuild homes, hospitals and public infrastructure damaged by the earthquakes.
Power outages, disrupted mobile networks and suspended metro services added to the challenges facing emergency responders, while schools across affected regions were closed and converted into temporary shelters and relief centres.
INTERNATIONAL RELIEF BEGINS
The United States eased certain sanctions on Venezuela until October 23 to facilitate earthquake-related humanitarian assistance and financial transactions.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was dispatching search-and-rescue teams, medical personnel and emergency supplies despite logistical challenges caused by the closure of Venezuela’s main airport.
Aid also began arriving from several countries, including Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Qatar and the Dominican Republic, with assistance ranging from rescue teams and sniffer dogs to medical equipment, aircraft and water purification systems.
TWIN QUAKES AMPLIFIED DESTRUCTION
According to the US Geological Survey, the first earthquake, measuring magnitude 7.2, struck near Morón on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast at a depth of 22 kilometres. Just one minute later, a second, stronger magnitude 7.5 quake struck nearby at a depth of 10 kilometres.
Geophysicist Marcos Ferreira of the Geological Survey of Brazil said the close succession of two shallow earthquakes significantly intensified the destruction.
“The second tremor amplified the shaking caused by the first, increasing the destructive impact across the region,” he said.
As rescue operations continued into the night, families posted photographs of missing relatives at shelters and online, while Venezuelans living abroad struggled to contact loved ones amid widespread communication outages. Officials warned that the casualty count could rise substantially as search efforts progressed.
Comments are closed.