International Rescue Effort Underway as Earthquakes Devastate Venezuela’s Coastal Regions]

Rescue teams are racing to Venezuela’s devastated northern coast following powerful twin earthquakes that struck less than 40 seconds apart, reducing dozens of buildings to rubble and leaving at least 235 people dead with thousands more feared trapped beneath the debris.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the Department of Defense will assist in deploying search and rescue capabilities to the affected region after Venezuela’s main international airport near Caracas was severely damaged. The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes struck during the afternoon, with Rubio emphasizing that the next 72 hours are critical for survival operations.

“The immediate need is search and rescue,” Rubio said. “They have collapsed buildings and so they will need a lot of help in terms of digging through that… In search and rescue you are trying to get to people while you can still save their lives.”

The hardest-hit area surrounds the cities of La Guaira, Catia La Mar and Caraballeda, where tower blocks have been reduced to rubble and families search desperately for missing loved ones, including children as young as five and elderly individuals. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared the La Guaira region a disaster zone during a televised address.

More than 100 buildings collapsed in the La Guaira region alone, including the Ritasol Palace apartment complex and Eduard’s Hotel along the seafront. Aerial footage showed widespread destruction across Caribbean beach towns west of the airport, with many structures completely destroyed.

Caracas also sustained significant damage, particularly in the Altamira and Los Palos Grandes neighborhoods, where several buildings collapsed. The official death toll rose to 235 with 157 people still missing.

The UN’s humanitarian agency Ocha reported full mobilization of rescue resources, with Head of Ocha Tom Fletcher stating, “We will surge in people, we will surge in solidarity and, most important, we will surge in search and rescue support.”

The earthquakes were felt over 1,000 miles away in Manaus, Brazil, forcing residents to flee their homes. World leaders responded with offers of assistance to Venezuela, which is already facing economic and humanitarian challenges.

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that 85 French specialized rescuers will deploy immediately alongside European partners. Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed concern for the Venezuelan people’s resilience, while U.S. President Donald Trump announced full government readiness to assist, writing, “The USA stands ready, willing, and able to help!”

Rodríguez thanked the international community for solidarity, noting that Venezuela “will never forget the helping hand extended to our people during these difficult times.” The earthquakes have been described as an “unprecedented seismic phenomenon” by authorities.

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