Rescue teams raced on Sunday to find more survivors of the two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela this week, with signs of life bringing occasional relief to a grim quest to whittle down a list of tens of thousands missing.
The death toll from Wednesday's twin earthquakes neared 1,500 people as foreign rescue teams poured into La Guaira, the hardest-hit state of a country long mired in a deep political and economic crisis.
Dozens of buildings collapsed into piles of sand and rubble in the coastal state, about 40 km (25 miles) north of Caracas.
Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez said in a televised address that 14,000 military and police personnel are deployed in La Guaira for security and sanitation, while 10 more countries are expected to join rescue efforts.
"In recent hours, Venezuela has received 17 flights carrying more than 1,600 members of rescue teams, and over the next 24 hours, the arrival of 25 additional flights is expected," said foreign ministry official Oliver Blanco.
Families and neighbours are still searching for missing relatives in the rubble, often digging by hand.
Jennifer Palacios, 25, said her six-year-old son and five other relatives were still trapped in La Guaira city’s eight-tower Hugo Chávez housing complex.
“It’s the community that has managed to get people out alive,” she said. “We need them to bring cranes to move the slabs. There are still people trapped.”
A UN report estimated direct damage from the two earthquakes, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, at about $6.7bn. The second quake was Venezuela’s strongest in more than a century.
Reuters witnesses travelling through the region saw cracked highways and buildings reduced to broken concrete and twisted metal.
Volunteers have been bringing supplies by motorcycle from Caracas and Valencia.
In the coastal town of Caraballeda, lawyer Ricardo Trias, 73, said he was trying to obtain official documents after his godson, Armando López, 54, was recovered from the rubble of his building on Thursday night.
Rodríguez held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, following earlier meetings with U.S. Northern Command and disaster response experts.
The United States said it is mobilising $150 million in aid and easing sanctions, while also deploying two ships and supporting operations with helicopters and aircraft.
In the beachside neighbourhood of Los Corales, 50 members of an El Salvador rescue team are assessing the ruins of three 10-storey buildings using drones, heat scanners and search dogs. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele shared a video on X showing the team preparing to enter one of the damaged structures.
A country already under strain
The earthquakes struck a country already weakened by years of economic crisis, political turmoil and fragile infrastructure.
While the government says hundreds are missing or trapped, opposition-linked sources report that more than 54,000 people remain unaccounted for on a publicly shared website.
The U.S. Geological Survey has estimated that more than 10,000 deaths are possible, which could make this one of the deadliest earthquakes in Latin America in decades.
Nearly seven million people could be affected, the UN’s migration agency said, as it supplied emergency shelter and other relief items.
The U.S. military said it completed a sixth consecutive night of strikes on Iran late on Thursday, targeting logistics infrastructure and maritime ca...
Iran struck eastern Syria on Friday, Iranian state media and a Syrian military source said, in the first known attack by Tehran on Syrian territory si...
Apple is closing in on Nvidia's position as the world's most valuable publicly traded company, as investors increasingly bet the iPhone maker can turn...
World Health Organization warned on Tuesday (30 June) that Venezuela's healthcare system is under severe strain after twin earthquakes struck last week, killing more than 1,700 people, injuring thousands and overwhelming hospitals.
Residents of Caracas woke on Monday (29 June) to a magnitude 4.6 aftershock as rescue teams entered a fourth day of intensive search operations following last week's powerful earthquakes in Venezuela.
Tens of thousands of people are still unaccounted for after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela. At least 589 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds are believed to be trapped under rubble, as emergency crews and international rescue teams race to respond.
At least 188 people have been killed and 1,520 injured after powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said. The quakes caused widespread destruction around Caracas, collapsing buildings and trapping residents, with fears the toll could rise significantly.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. The operation targeted command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites across multiple locations.
The half-time interval during the 2026 FIFA World Cup final is expected to be extended to around 30 minutes to accommodate the tournament’s first-ever major half-time concert.
Nineteen years ago, at Barcelona's Camp Nou, Lionel Messi posed for a charity photo shoot with a five-month-old baby he had never met. On Sunday, that baby, Lamine Yamal, will face Messi in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final as Spain take on Argentina. A full-circle football story.
The U.S. military said it completed a sixth consecutive night of strikes on Iran late on Thursday, targeting logistics infrastructure and maritime capabilities. Iran responded by launching strikes at U.S. bases in neighbouring countries.
Japan's parliament has approved changes to the Imperial House Law aimed at addressing the shrinking size of the imperial family while preserving the country's centuries-old male-only succession system.
SpaceX's Starship rocket aborted its 13th flight test just seconds before liftoff in Texas on Thursday after some of its 33 engines failed to start. CEO Elon Musk said the company is likely to make another launch attempt early next week.
At least 20 children and one adult have been killed after a school bus carrying pupils on a study trip crashed in eastern Uganda. Dozens of other passengers were injured when the vehicle reportedly lost control and overturned.
North Korean state media called South Korea a “puppet” over its participation in a U.S.-led maritime exercise, warning that Seoul and Washington would bear responsibility for any “unpredictable escalation” in the region.
The U.S. will impose new 25% tariffs on Brazilian imports, including furniture, ethanol, machinery, footwear and sugar. The move launches a new wave of tariffs that could eventually affect dozens of countries.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment