Venezuela Quake Toll Doubles to 589 Amid Frantic Search for Survivors
The official death toll from the twin earthquakes that devastated Venezuela’s northern coast has more than doubled to 589, interim president Delcy Rodriguez announced Friday, as overstretched rescue teams bolstered by international reinforcements raced against time to extract survivors from collapsed structures.
Rodriguez revealed the sharply escalated figure during a televised meeting with military and civilian officials, marking a grim leap from the previous count of 235. Health Minister Carlos Alvarado had reported late Thursday that 4,300 people were listed as injured, a number expected to climb as recovery operations continue in the hardest-hit areas west of Caracas.
Race Against Time in the Rubble
Rescue workers deployed heavy machinery alongside their bare hands in a desperate effort to free those trapped beneath mountains of debris. At one flattened building, an AFP journalist observed crews using sledgehammers to break apart concrete while calling for “absolute silence” to detect any faint cries from survivors.
In the severely affected state of La Guaira, north of the capital, Amparo del Giudice clawed at a massive mound of concrete with her bare hands, searching for her son. “It is a lot of rock, and with bare hands it is impossible,” she said, her voice thick with frustration as she struck at the rubble.Elsewhere, residents recounted the harrowing story of a young girl who died after crying out for help for hours while onlookers listened helplessly. “We need people… military personnel, to come and help so we can get her out,” said resident Dani Rizo, 48.
Precarious Conditions and Looting
A rescue worker, speaking on condition of anonymity, described conditions on the ground as precarious, citing a severe shortage of trained personnel and significant technical limitations. The desperation has spilled into civil disorder, with AFP reporters witnessing residents looting a local supermarket in La Guaira.
Nicole Kast, Venezuela’s director of the International Rescue Committee, characterized the situation as catastrophic. Aerial photographs circulating on social media revealed one crumpled residential complex after another, underscoring the scale of destruction.
International Aid Mobilizes
>Help has begun to arrive from around the globe. Salvadoran, Swiss, and Mexican rescue teams are already operating on the ground, while a senior US military official landed in Caracas to oversee Washington’s relief efforts. The United States it is deploying two warships, transport planes, and helicopters, and mobilizing $150 million in aid.
Other nations pledging support include China, India, Brazil, and Iran. Switzerland, Spain, France, Portugal, and Mexico have dispatched specialists and rescue teams. Pope Leo XIV sent an initial 100,000 euros in assistance, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply saddened” by the disaster, pledging the global body’s support.
Foreign Casualties and Missing
The dead include at least nine Portuguese nationals, three Spaniards, two Brazilians, two Chinese nationals, and one Italian-Venezuelan. According to their respective governments, 56 Portuguese citizens and 99 Spaniards remain missing or unaccounted for.
Complicating Relief Efforts
Compounding the crisis, Caracas’s main international airport in La Guaira suffered serious damage and has been, threatening to hamper the flow of aid and personnel. The disaster has also prompted political calls for unity, with opposition leader and Nobel Peace laureate Maria Corina Machado urging the release of “all political prisoners, both civilians and military personnel,” so they can reunite with loved ones during the national mourning.
Wednesday’s 7.5-magnitude earthquake was the most powerful to strike Venezuela since a 7.7-magnitude tremor in October 1900. The country’s northern coast sits on a boundary between the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates but had not experienced a significant quake since 1997, when 73 people died. The tremors were felt as far away as Bogota, Colombia, and several cities in northern Brazil.
For comparison, earthquakes of similar magnitude claimed more than 200,000 lives in Haiti in January 2010 and 73,000 lives in Kashmir in October 2005.
