LAGUAIRA/CARACAS (Reuters) – The confirmed death toll from the devastating twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela rose above 1,400 on Saturday, as international rescue teams poured into the country and authorities intensified a desperate search for survivors in the hardest-hit coastal regions.
The updated figures emerged as rescuers fanned out across La Guaira and parts of Caracas, where families and volunteers have spent days pulling survivors and bodies from the rubble, often complaining of a lack of heavy equipment and a limited official presence.
International Rescue Operation Expands
Officials confirmed that more than 1,600 foreign rescuers had arrived, with additional teams en route, contributing to a growing international response to the magnitude 7.2 and 7. quakes that struck on Wednesday and unleashed hundreds of aftershocks.
In Caraballeda, one of the worst-hit areas of La Guaira, U.S. helicopters ferried rescue teams into a dusty landing zone, according to Reuters witnesses, dropping off crews before taking off again. The aerial operation underscored the scale of the logistical challenge facing emergency services in the devastated region.
Among the crowds of volunteers was Alejandro Serrano, a 33-year-old industrial engineer who had traveled from San Cristobal in western Venezuela in search of his 24-year-old sister, Ana Serrano, who lived in the Bahía Mar building in Caraballeda, which was completely destroyed in the quakes.
Serrano said he had searched Caracas’ Perez Carreno Hospital on Thursday night but found no trace of her. He has since provided his sister’s details and address to rescue teams from Argentina and El Salvador.
“I hope they don’t find her” in the rubble, he said, meaning he hoped she was still alive. “But I need to find her.”
Communities Sleep in the Streets Amid Aftershocks
Residents reported that the official response in some areas remained uneven, though heavy machinery was finally operating in parts of Caraballeda and Los Corales by Saturday.
In the small Los Corales area known as Valle del Pino, 60-year-old Beisy Rivas said five or six homes in her neighborhood were still standing but had sustained significant damage.
“Since the night of the earthquakes, almost all the neighbors have been sleeping in the street because of the aftershocks,” she said. “My nerves are on edge, thinking about the dead and about the people who lost relatives.”
Nearby, Yendri Santana said some homes in her 30-house development had cracks in the walls, though no one there had died. Sitting on a curb with Rivas after collecting food donations from a truck, Santana said her sister had lost her small home but survived.
“It hurts to see people struggle so much only to lose everything,” she said.
Access Restrictions and Power Struggles
Authorities continued to restrict access to La Guaira and maintained controls on the main road from Caracas, saying non-essential traffic was slowing emergency vehicles. Civilians not attached to official rescue teams required credentials to pass checkpoints.
Power throughout the region was gradually returning. Venezuela’s power grid, crippled by years of underinvestment and economic sanctions, regularly experiences problems, leading to daily, hours-long blackouts in some regions even before the disaster.
55,000 Missing and Fears of a Much Higher Toll
Although the government has said hundreds are missing or trapped, more than 55,000 people are listed as unaccounted for on a website promoted by the country’s opposition. The U.S. Geological Survey has estimated that more than 10,000 deaths are possible from the twin quakes, which would rank them among Latin America’s deadliest natural disasters of the last century.
The catastrophe could carry political consequences for interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who has portrayed herself as an agent of change despite having served as vice president to Nicolas Maduro, who was ousted and arrested by the United States in January.
Pope Leo, speaking in Rome on Saturday, offered prayers for the victims, their families, and those involved in relief operations, expressing hope that global solidarity with Venezuela would endure.
The United States has sent aid to Venezuela in the aftermath of the quakes. A senior U.S. administration official said on Saturday that a funding package worth hundreds of millions of dollars is expected to be announced within the next day or so, in addition to the $150 million that the Trump administration has already committed.
A White House official also told Reuters that a renewed push by Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado—who left Venezuela late last year—for U.S. assistance to return home is frustrating senior officials in Washington, who said it was too soon after the disaster to address such requests.
