Rescue workers and desperate residents continued searching for survivors across northern Venezuela on Friday after twin earthquakes killed at least 920 people and left thousands injured, as international aid teams gradually reached the country’s worst-affected areas.
Authorities said 172 people remained trapped beneath collapsed buildings, while 3,360 others had been injured. More than 50,000 people have also been reported missing following the powerful 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck within a minute of each other on Wednesday evening, devastating Caracas and nearby coastal communities.
The coastal city of La Guaira, close to the capital, suffered some of the heaviest destruction, with apartment buildings reduced to piles of concrete and twisted metal. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced that access to the disaster zone had been restricted from Friday night to allow emergency crews to carry out rescue operations more effectively.
A Chilean rescue team arriving in La Guaira described the devastation as overwhelming. Team leader Nadiomar Polanco said one residential complex of four apartment towers had collapsed completely, leaving little hope of finding survivors. Rescue efforts there have shifted largely toward recovering bodies.
Across affected neighborhoods, families and volunteers continued digging through debris with their hands and basic tools, saying heavy equipment and official rescue teams were still in short supply.
Marjosly Salazar, who lost her 16-year-old daughter in the disaster, said she was still searching for her five-month-old grandson and another relative. She appealed for heavy machinery to help lift concrete slabs, saying no government assistance had reached her neighborhood.
Public frustration also became visible during interim President Delcy Rodriguez’s visit to one devastated district of Caracas, where residents shouted criticism over what they described as a slow official response.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said rescue teams from at least 17 countries were being deployed. Emergency crews from Spain, Mexico, Switzerland, Colombia and El Salvador were already assisting search operations, while the United States announced the deployment of more than 250 disaster response personnel, including specialized search-and-rescue teams with trained dogs.
Rodriguez said she had spoken with US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who pledged additional rescue workers, specialist equipment, temporary shelters and humanitarian assistance.
The UN warned that Venezuela’s existing humanitarian challenges, including food insecurity and weakened health services, could worsen significantly because of the disaster. Nearly seven million people may ultimately be affected, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The US Geological Survey estimated the final death toll could exceed 10,000, potentially making the earthquakes one of the deadliest natural disasters in Latin America in more than a century. Victims include foreign nationals from Portugal, Spain, Brazil, China, Chile and Italy, while moments of silence were observed before World Cup matches to honor those who lost their lives.
