Venezuela’s earthquake death toll has climbed sharply, with officials reporting at least 1,450 deaths as rescue operations continue in some of the hardest-hit areas. In La Guaira state, rescue teams and residents have kept searching collapsed buildings for survivors and the missing after the powerful twin quakes that struck last week. Authorities have said thousands more were injured and many people remain unaccounted for, while the broader scale of the disaster remains difficult to measure.
One of the most significant rescues came in La Guaira on Sunday, when teams from the United States, France and Venezuela pulled a father and his son alive from the rubble of a collapsed building four days after the earthquakes. The pair were carried from the site and taken to an ambulance as rescue workers and onlookers reacted with applause. The rescue came after hopes of finding more survivors had been fading as the critical early window for saving people trapped under debris passed.
Venezuelan officials have said search-and-rescue work will continue. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez said operations would not be suspended after additional people were recovered alive, and National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said authorities were racing both to save lives and to establish shelter for people who could not return home. Officials also said electricity, water and road access had largely been restored in La Guaira.
At the same time, criticism of the government response has intensified. Some residents said rescue efforts were disorganized and that trained personnel and heavy equipment were not reaching some collapse sites quickly enough. NBC reported that many Venezuelans believed valuable time had been lost, while broader reporting from Caracas described overwhelmed hospitals, damaged medical facilities and shortages of staff, medicines and equipment. The disaster has also displaced large numbers of people, with schools and shelters being used to house families as aftershocks and structural damage keep many residents from returning home.
The earthquakes, measured at magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, are among the most severe natural disasters to hit Venezuela in decades. Even as the chances of finding survivors diminish with each passing day, families have continued waiting near ruined buildings for news of loved ones. Small rescues have offered moments of hope, but the overall emergency has underscored the scale of destruction along Venezuela’s northern coast and the strain on the country’s emergency and health systems.