Caracas, Venezuela – Venezuelans took the search for missing loved ones into their own hands on Friday in the wake of successive earthquakes, saying they saw only a few government rescue teams in the worst-hit areas even though authorities showed a picture of a strong government response.
An apparent lack of government assistance has exacerbated the desperation of families as the pressure to find buried survivors grows with every passing hour. The South American country on Friday marked almost two days since the disaster. Relief agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours to be a critical time frame for people to recover, although this period increases if they have access to food and water.
Meanwhile, large-scale international aid efforts have accelerated, with more than two dozen rescue teams from around the world arriving in Venezuela or scheduled to arrive there soon.
The authorities said that the death toll from the devastating earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 that struck late on Wednesday had risen to at least 920 dead and 3,360 injured.
Residents walk through the rubble of buildings damaged by the previous day’s earthquakes in Catia la Mar, Venezuela, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey)
AP Photo/Pedro Mattei
“Every person saved is a miracle,” said Jorge Rodriguez, head of the country’s National Assembly.
Anxious families wait to find out if their relatives are alive
Desperate families in northern Venezuela searched through the rubble of buildings for their family members and what was left of their lives.
Nazareth Jimenez cried on a family member’s shoulder as she watched neighbors try to cut through concrete slabs with hammers and power tools in a building that was reduced to a mountain of debris. “Oh my God, how are we going to get them out of there?” I mumbled.
It was in the northern state of La Guaira, north of the capital Caracas, where some of the worst destruction occurred. Jimenez felt anxious as she waited to see if her brothers, nephews, nieces and friends would emerge from the rubble alive.
She said: “We are sending an appeal to help the governments of countries around the world,” and appealed for the provision of machines capable of moving collapsed structures. “There are still people alive there.”
Government forces distributed food and water to survivors in La Guaira, while acting President Delcy Rodriguez said the authorities were making a full response. She welcomed the arrival of rescuers and humanitarian aid from all over the world. Rodriguez said La Guaira has been militarized and more help is on the way, even as residents say it is just a small portion of the aid they need.
The death toll is expected to rise, with thousands of people still missing.
She added: “We will rescue the trapped people.” “We are working tirelessly on this mission.”
Earthquakes leave millions of people reeling
The International Organization for Migration said that up to 6.76 million people in Venezuela could be affected by the earthquakes, about two million of them in Caracas alone. “People are still afraid to return to their homes,” said Louis Pace, the International Red Cross’s regional director for the Americas. Buildings in northern Venezuela have turned into skeletons, with furniture hanging from windows and helicopters flying overhead.
Despair began to fade on Friday, as many families were unable to find their missing loved ones and had only the bare minimum of equipment needed for rescue efforts. Many of them continued to sleep in the street and felt hungry.
In Catia La Mar, a community adjacent to the country’s main airport, people crowded into a civilian pickup truck that was distributing loaves of bread and water. A soldier intervened to allow the car to leave. People turned a pharmacy parking lot into a makeshift shelter by setting up tarps, hammocks and tents.
Omar Rayes walked through the remains of what was once his home, calling out the names of his wife and children. He received no response.
About 20 family members died. Two of his four sons were buried under the rubble.
“I am left alone in this life,” he said quietly.
International aid is on the way
On the country’s main highway, convoys of state forces, emergency personnel, dump trucks and heavy machinery moved towards the tragedy. It was a civilian truck carrying thin mattresses with the words “Help from Trujillo” on the windows. The Venezuelan government said it had transferred emergency services to La Guaira state.
Firefighters from Tachira state, which borders Colombia, were among those deployed to participate in search and rescue efforts in La Guaira.
Firefighting General Antonio Briceño said 45 firefighters and a trained dog, called a rescue dog, expected to arrive at the affected sites in the coming days.
“We bring shovels, shovels, hydraulic tools and drinking water that the site needs,” Briceño said.
About 1,000 emergency responders in 25 search and rescue teams from around the world were on their way to Venezuela, said Jens Laerke, spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The assistance included assistance from Germany, Chile, Switzerland, Turkey, China, Qatar, Brazil, Portugal and Canada, as well as teams from El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Mexico.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who spoke to Rodriguez after the quake, said the United States would send aid immediately. On Thursday night, the US Treasury moved to waive sanctions through October 23 to allow transactions related to earthquake relief efforts in Venezuela that would otherwise be prohibited.
On Friday, Venezuelan television showed the arrival of rescuers with dogs and equipment, including cameras and ground-penetrating radar, from Spain.
The government and rescuers face enormous challenges
Media reports shared notable moments of hope, including a young man who was brought in on a stretcher in the San Bernardino district of Caracas to applause from onlookers while his tearful mother said: “Leandro, I love you.”
Venezuelan television broadcast a video clip of a girl covered in dust and wrapped in a sweatshirt as she emerged from the rubble with the help of rescuers. She was found in a 10-storey building in La Guaira that collapsed and was flattened “like a pancake,” said Jose Luis Nunez, head of the Caracas city rescue team.
“We want to highlight this girl’s strength, determination and will to live,” Nunez said.
Despite this, the natural disaster poses a major challenge for Rodriguez, the former vice president who took office in January after then-President Nicolas Maduro was arrested and removed from power by the United States. Venezuela has been facing economic chaos for more than a decade, and many people reject the legitimacy of the political movement that Rodriguez represents.
Rodriguez declared a state of emergency in an address to the nation late Wednesday. She said the government has established a $200 million reconstruction fund for damaged hospitals and homes.
The US Geological Survey said the two earthquakes were centered near Moron on the Caribbean coast, about 170 kilometers west of Caracas. The double whammy of the quakes, combined with shallow seismic movements, exacerbated the devastation, said Marcos Ferreira, a geophysicist and researcher with the Brazilian Geological Survey.
“It’s like I’m screaming and then someone starts screaming too. This increases the vibration and increases the potential risk,” Ferreira said.
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Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Associated Press journalists Julie Watson in San Diego, Danica Cotto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Geir Molson in Berlin, Susan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Teresa Medrano in Madrid contributed to this report.
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