Rescue teams are in a race against time to locate survivors after two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week, with tens of thousands of people remaining missing. The death toll from the June 24 earthquakes has reached nearly 1,500, as rescue crews continue searching in La Guaira, the state that was hardest hit. The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck just one minute apart, causing buildings to collapse and inflicting severe damage on the country's main international airport.
Ruins everywhere
Dozens of buildings collapsed and were turned into piles of sand and rubble in the coastal state, located approximately 40 kilometers north of Caracas. "Rescue and recovery operations are continuing. Today we pulled people out alive, and therefore, operations are not stopping. We always maintain hope," stated Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, following the announcement of a presidential commission that will inspect unstable buildings on Sunday. Accompanied by several ministers, Rodriguez noted that schools will remain closed for another week and that electricity in La Guaira has been restored to 75% capacity. Although the government speaks of hundreds of missing or trapped individuals, nearly 50,000 people were listed as unaccounted for on a website promoted by the country's political opposition on Sunday, a number slightly lower than the 55,000 reported the previous day.
A deadly earthquake
The US Geological Survey estimated that the earthquakes could result in over 10,000 deaths, which would rank them among the deadliest disasters in Latin America in the last century. Earlier, Jorge Rodriguez, brother of the acting president and president of the National Assembly, reported that the death toll rose by 20 people on Sunday, reaching 1,450. He added that 3,150 people have been injured, 12,721 have been displaced, and 774 buildings have collapsed. "We are in critical hours, in decisive hours for the continuation of saving lives and for establishing camps where those who have lost their homes or cannot return to their residences for any reason can stay," he stated. Families and volunteers spent days pulling survivors and bodies from the rubble before the arrival of more than 2,600 foreign rescuers, while hundreds of aftershocks exacerbated the damage and kept residents in constant anguish and terror.
The critical rescue "window" is closing
Emergency teams, aided by specially trained dogs, continue the search for survivors of the powerful double earthquakes that struck Venezuela, with the death toll exceeding 1,450 and nearly 200 buildings having collapsed completely. In one of the few moments of hope amidst the widespread destruction, a man and his teenage son were pulled alive on Sunday from the rubble in Caraballeda, about 40 kilometers north of Caracas, as recorded by journalists. The rescue was carried out by French and American rescue teams. The incident offered a small breath of optimism in a tragedy that has shocked a country already mired in a deep economic crisis. However, tens of thousands of people are still considered missing, while the critical 72-hour window for finding those trapped after a natural disaster has now passed.
State under collapse
Authorities and humanitarian organizations express fears that millions of citizens may be left without basic services, such as water and sanitation, following one of the deadliest earthquakes in Latin America in recent decades. The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that occurred on Wednesday caused extensive destruction, with 774 buildings having suffered severe damage and 189 having collapsed completely, according to National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez. In one of the hardest-hit areas, in the coastal city of La Guaira, Hector Aguilera was searching for four members of his family who were buried under the rubble. "We don't have the help to get them out – we cannot do it by ourselves. They are buried there: we know they are dead, but we are here," he said. "We have no more hope; all we have left is memories of our loved ones".
The 72-hour window has closed
Experts point out that the first 72 hours after natural disasters constitute the critical time window for the rescue of survivors, as after this period the operation turns mainly into the retrieval of bodies. In the San Bernardino neighborhood of Caracas, volunteers climbed over damaged buildings, breaking concrete with tools and forming human chains to remove rubble by hand. In the Chacao area, large electronic screens that usually display advertisements were showing photos of the missing, in an attempt to locate them. On Sunday, Jorge Rodriguez announced that the dead had reached 1,450, with the number expected to increase. At the same time, 3,150 people have been injured. Despite the continuation of operations, incidents of looting occurred in La Guaira, much of which has been turned into ruins. Pharmacies, supermarkets, and shops were looted, according to residents, who complain about delays in the distribution of aid.
Hopes
Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodriguez praised the rescuers, emphasizing that people are still being pulled alive from the rubble. "Today we have rescued people who are still alive and, therefore, the efforts will not stop," she stated. "We always maintain hope". The US is sending helicopters with humanitarian aid, while another 230 military personnel are expected to reinforce the airport's capacity and reopen a key port for rescue operations, according to the US Southern Command. In total, 24 countries have sent aid, 521 tons of supplies, and more than 2,700 rescue forces, according to the authorities. The UN's International Organization for Migration estimates that up to 6.76 million people may have been affected and are in need of immediate shelter, water, healthcare, and basic humanitarian support.
Without precedent
These earthquakes are recorded as the worst in Venezuela in over a century, in a country that has already suffered more than a decade of economic collapse. The crisis has severely weakened hospitals and public services, leading millions of citizens to emigrate. The UN estimates that the material damage reaches 6.7 billion dollars, an amount corresponding to approximately 6% of Venezuela's GDP. At the same time, the country's political opposition announced that Maria Corina Machado, who is in exile, plans to return "soon" to Venezuela, stating that "the time has come" for unity, mourning, and reconstruction.
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