Neighbors Labor Through Venezuelan Rubble to Find Loved Ones as Death Toll Rises

LA GAIRA, Venezuela — Across northern Venezuela, residents are digging through debris together, searching for missing family members after successive earthquakes have claimed at least 589 lives and injured thousands.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced the updated toll early Friday, flanked by government and military officials as international rescue teams arrived.

“We will rescue those who are trapped,” she said. “We are working tirelessly on this task.”

Rodríguez said La Guaira has been the hardest hit by the 7.2‑ and 7.5‑magnitude quakes that struck Wednesday evening, noting that the area has been militarized to support rescue operations and the distribution of food and water.

Casualties are expected to rise, with thousands still missing and rescue efforts ongoing.

She added that dozens have already been saved, expressing relief that survivors can reunite with their families.

Injured victims, including children, were pulled from the rubble covered in dust and blood. State television showed dramatic rescues, such as a woman freed from under a cement slab with only a bare foot exposed. Early on, few government search teams were visible outside Caracas.

The International Organization for Migration estimates up to 6.76 million Venezuelans could be affected, including about 2 million in Caracas. Loyce Pace, the International Red Cross regional director for the Americas, said people remain terrified to reenter what were once their homes.

On Thursday morning, many were stunned by buildings reduced to skeletal frames, furniture hanging from windows, and helicopters circling overhead. Streets cracked open as structures collapsed.

Families posted missing‑person flyers with photographs, while others shared handwritten name lists. Phone service disruptions left Venezuelans abroad struggling to contact relatives.

In downtown Caracas, hundreds spent the night huddled in parks, parking lots and other open areas.

Dayana Delgado, a mother of three, asked where the heavy machinery promised by officials was, noting that residents were the ones digging through the wreckage.

“I want to know where my child is, if he’s trapped or in a shelter,” she said of her missing 8‑year‑old son.

Another mother broke down in tears as the bodies of her 3‑ and 10‑year‑old children were wrapped in blankets and carried away. Others shouted the names of the missing, while some stood in silent shock.

Authorities are diverting rescue teams from other regions to La Guaira, a city no stranger to natural disasters; a 1999 mudslide killed thousands there.

In La Guaira, Cristian Carreño surveyed his charred apartment building, tilted precariously.

“I lost everything,” he said. “There are people still inside, I imagine, who couldn’t get out. It’s incredibly devastating.”

Retired teacher Juan Alberto Mendaño climbed through wreckage, passing a dead body before spotting a woman signaling for help.

“May God rescue her quickly,” he said. “When we heard the scream, there was nothing we could do.”

Media reports highlighted moments of hope, such as a young man being carried on a stretcher in Caracas’s San Bernardino district to applause, his tearful mother saying, “Leandro, I love you.”

Venezuelan TV showed a girl, covered in dust and wrapped in a dark sweatshirt, emerging from rubble with rescuers’ assistance. José Luis Núñez, head of the Caracas metropolitan rescue team, said she was found in a ten‑story building in La Guaira that collapsed “like a pancake.”

“We want to highlight this girl’s strength, determination and will to live,” Núñez said.

The disaster tests Rodríguez, who assumed the presidency in January after the United States removed Nicolás Maduro from power. Venezuela has endured a decade of economic crisis, and many citizens question the legitimacy of Rodríguez’s government.

Rodríguez declared a state of emergency and announced a $200 million fund for rebuilding hospitals and homes.

While Venezuela lies near several fault lines, its position on the South American and Caribbean plates makes major earthquakes less common than in other parts of Latin America.

The U.S. Geological Survey located both quakes near Morón on the Caribbean coast, about 170 km (105 mi) west of Caracas. The twin shocks, combined with shallow seismic activity, amplified the destruction, according to geophysicist Marcos Ferreira of Brazil’s Geological Survey.

“It is as if I am screaming and then someone starts screaming too. That amplifies the vibration and adds to the hazard,” Ferreira explained.

After U.N. officials urged the government to lift social‑media restrictions, Venezuelans regained access to X, which had been blocked since August 2024.

About 1,000 emergency responders from 25 international search‑and‑rescue teams are deploying, according to Jens Laerke of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking with Rodríguez after the quake, said the United States is launching a comprehensive, rapid response, despite logistical challenges posed by the closure of Venezuela’s main airport near Caracas.

Venezuelan TV on Friday showed rescuers arriving with dogs and equipment—including cameras and ground‑penetrating radar—from Spain. Teams from Germany, Chile and Switzerland also landed. Turkey announced two flights from Istanbul with rescuers and search dogs. China, Qatar, Brazil, Portugal, Canada and others pledged assistance.

Rescue teams from El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Mexico arrived on Thursday, bringing personnel and material aid.

“No country is prepared to provide the response that’s needed. That’s what neighboring countries are there for,” said Dominican Air Force Major Carlos Olivares.

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