Thirty-three people have been rescued so far this weekend after Venezuela's devastating twin earthquakes, the country's interim president said, including several children, while tens of thousands remained unaccounted for with time for finding additional survivors running short.

The death toll from Wednesday's twin earthquakes rose above 1,400 as of Saturday as foreign rescue teams poured into coastal La Guaira, the hardest-hit state.

Families and volunteers spent days pulling survivors and bodies from the rubble before the arrival of the more than 1,600 foreign rescue workers, often complaining of scant heavy equipment and a limited official presence, as hundreds of aftershocks deepened damage and kept residents on edge.

Rescue crews raced Sunday to find survivors in the rubble of Venezuela's powerful earthquakes as the deaths reached 1,430 and hopes dwindled more than three days after the earth roared and rumbled.

Tens of thousands of people were reported missing as collapsed buildings dotted cities in a country already enduring an economic crisis and political upheaval after US forces captured former president Nicolas Maduro in January.

Millions of people were also feared to lack sanitation and other basic needs.

Experts say the first 72 hours after natural disasters are the key, narrow window for finding the living. After that the search becomes one of recovering bodies.

India has dispatched urgent humanitarian assistance to earthquake-hit Venezuela under "Operation Amistad", as part of its disaster relief response efforts, following a series of powerful earthquakes that have caused widespread devastation in the South American nation.

Announcing the development, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar posted on X, "Indian assistance reaches Venezuela. Confident that the Field Hospital Unit, relief supplies, medicines & medical equipment, will bolster ongoing post-earthquake relief efforts in the country. #OperationAmistad"

Venezuelan top-flight club Deportivo La Guaira has confirmed the tragic passing of Argentine defender Lucas Trejo's wife and two children following the recent earthquakes in Venezuela. The family had been reported missing after their apartment building collapsed during the seismic activity, with rescue teams later confirming the heartbreaking news. READ HERE

Rescue crews working at one of the many buildings destroyed in Venezuela's killer earthquakes called for silence as they heard some kind of sound from a survivor buried in the rubble.

They called out the missing man's name -- "Jonathan!" -- and his wife, Barbara Palacios, jumped with joy and excitement.

She looked up to the sky and screamed "thank you, Father!" 

But hearing her husband and getting him out from under tons of concrete and debris were very different things.

All around this one personal tragedy are the sights and smells of many others from that moment Wednesday evening when the earth abruptly groaned and rumbled with quakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5, in rapid succession. They killed more than 1,400 people and left some 50,000 missing.

A heroic yet heartbreaking story has emerged from Venezuela, where the wife of footballer Hector Bello died while trying to shield her newborn baby as their building collapsed following Wednesday's devastating earthquakes.

The couple's one-year-old daughter, Alana, was found alive when rescuers cleared the rubble following the severe twin tremors that shook the country this week. The toddler was rushed to a hospital in Caracas after being rescued.

"You'll always be our favourite hero, Mommy. I'm going to make sure our baby remembers how wonderful you were and how much you loved her," Bello wrote on Friday, sharing an emotional Instagram tribute in memory of his wife, Andrea.

Overwhelmed with grief, the Maritimo de La Guaira defender shared his heart-wrenching pain across multiple social media posts. "I'll tell her the story of how you saved her, how you gave your own life for our daughter, and how you were a brave woman who, even with your last breaths, never abandoned her," he wrote.

Days after two strong back-to-back earthquakes that killed over 1,400 people, another earthquake of magnitude 5.6 has hit Venezuela.

The death toll of Venezuela’s earthquakes rose to 1,430 on Saturday, officials said. The latest figures were released as rescuers continued the search for survivors of the one-two punch of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that devastated the South American nation three days earlier. Families had reported at least 68,900 people missing as of Saturday morning.

Venezuelans looking for loved ones and neighbours used shovels, heavy equipment, ropes and bare hands atop mounds of toppled concrete throughout La Guaira, one of Venezuela’s hardest-hit states.

Most of those digging were civilians who took search efforts into their own hands, and tensions spiked over an inadequate response from the Venezuelan government, whose soldiers, firefighters, police and military cadets were evidently underprepared to respond to the tragedy.

(AP)

Desperation mounts as officials say death count from the Venezuela earthquake rises to 1,430.

(AP)

High-resolution satellite imagery sourced from Vantor confirms the widespread structural damage caused by two deadly earthquakes in Venezuela.

The death toll from twin earthquakes in Venezuela rose Friday to 920, with tens of thousands reported missing as international rescue teams boosted a desperate and slow-moving search for survivors.

Caracas residents jeered interim leader Delcy Rodriguez during her visit to a devastated neighborhood, as fury over the perceived lack of an official response mounted.

United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher told AFP that more than 50,000 people were missing after two powerful earthquakes struck within a minute of each other on Wednesday evening, flattening buildings in the north of the country.

The coastal area of La Guaira, near the capital Caracas, was the worst hit, with one building after another crumpled by the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes.

(AFP)

The situation has grown more desperate by the hour in Venezuela as people dig through the rubble of collapsed homes and apartment buildings three days after the devastating one-two punch of 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes, knowing time is running out to find survivors.

Authorities announced Friday night that they would block access to La Guaira, the epicenter of the destruction, as chaos and traffic began to hamper search efforts. Officials said anyone who wants to enter would now have to seek official permits, but provided few details of who would be allowed in.

Venezuelans took the search for missing loved ones into their own hands, citing a scarcity of government rescuers, as the human toll of Wednesday's quakes climbed to at least 920 dead and more than 51,000 missing. People reported seeing few state rescue teams in the hardest-hit areas, despite authorities projecting an image of a robust government response.

Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours to be a crucial time frame to retrieve people alive, though that can be extended if they have access to food and water.

(AP)

The coastal area of La Guaira, near the capital Caracas, was the worst hit, with one building after another crumpled by the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes.

The Venezuelan government is set to restrict access to La Guaira state, one of the hardest-hit areas by two deadly earthquakes, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Friday.

"Access to La Guaira state is restricted as of 8 pm (0000 GMT)," Cabello said in a televised address.

Interim leader Delcy Rodriguez earlier asked people not to travel to the area north of Caracas.

A new earthquake struck off the northern coast of Venezuela on Friday afternoon, days after twin quakes flattened buildings and killed nearly 1,000 people. 

Reuters witnesses in Caracas and Maracay felt the quake, which earthquake monitor EMSC said had a 4.9 magnitude.

The toll from the back-to-back earthquakes that devastated Venezuela this week climbed Friday to at least 920 dead and 3,360 injured, authorities said.

The new figures were announced by Jorge Rodríguez, the president of the country's National Assembly.

The toll is likely to go higher as search-and-rescue operations continue. Many families say their loved ones are still buried under the rubble.

“Each person saved is a miracle,” Rodriguez said.

(AP)

Under the 'Operation Amistad', launched by India to offer humanitarian assistance to quake-hit Venezuela, two IAF C-17 Globemaster aircraft carrying relief supplies and a 41-member rescue team departed on Friday to assist the ongoing relief and rescue efforts in that country.

"India stands shoulder to shoulder with the government and the people of Venezuela during this difficult period," the Ministry of External Affairs said.

In a gesture of solidarity with the people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, India has launched Operation Amistad, a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) mission, in response to the devastating earthquake that has caused extensive loss of life, injuries and widespread destruction.

(PTI)

The death toll from twin earthquakes in Venezuela more than doubled Friday to 589, interim president Delcy Rodriguez said, as rescuers boosted by international teams raced to find survivors beneath collapsed buildings.

Rescuers used heavy machinery but also just bare hands in a race to pluck out people caught under rubble in the earthquake zone west of the capital Caracas.

At one of the flattened buildings, AFP saw workers using sledgehammers to break the debris and calling for "absolute silence" to detect cries from survivors.

However, the abrupt increase in the official toll was only expected to keep rising.

(AFP)

The death toll from two powerful earthquakes in Venezuela rose to 589, with 2,980 injured, acting President Delcy Rodríguez said early Friday.

She made the announced surrounded by government and military officials as she welcomed the arrival of rescue crews from all over the world.

“We are going to rescue the people who are trapped,” she said. “We are working tirelessly on this task.”

She said the state of La Guaira has been hardest hit by the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck Wednesday evening, noting that it has been militarized as crews search for survivors and distribute food and water.

(AP)

Rescuers used heavy machinery and their bare hands on Friday in a race to save survivors of twin earthquakes in Venezuela that killed at least 235 people, hurt thousands and flattened scores of buildings.

International rescuers and aid have begun arriving to help a nation struggling to respond two days after its strongest quake in well over a century struck west of Caracas, which prompted interim president Delcy Rodriguez to declare a state of emergency.

Rubble from collapsed buildings had trapped more than 200 people under debris, National Assembly chief Jorge Rodriguez said Thursday.

(AFP)

In cities across northern Venezuela, neighbors helped each other dig through rubble to search for loved ones, after back-to-back earthquakes that officials say killed more than 230 people and left thousands injured.

The official death toll rose to around 235 late Thursday, with at least 4,300 people injured, Venezuela Health Minister Carlos Alvarado told state media. The number of casualties is expected to climb with thousands reported missing and frantic rescue efforts continuing.

The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck Wednesday evening were among the strongest in Venezuela in more than a century and was felt throughout the region.

(AP)

Nine Portuguese and two Spanish nationals have been killed after two major earthquakes in Venezuela that killed at least 235 people, the countries' foreign ministries said Friday.

Spanish Territorial policy minister, Angel Victor Torres, told Cadena Ser radio 90 Spaniards were missing after the foreign ministry initially said 80 Spaniards were unaccounted for.

Portugal's foreign ministry said 56 citizens were missing or otherwise unaccounted for.

"We deeply regret the death of two Spaniards, confirmed by their relatives, to whom we extend our condolences," the Spanish foreign ministry said in a statement.

(AFP)

Amparo del Giudice dug with her bare hands at a huge mound of concrete in search of her son, trapped under rubble after Venezuela's strongest earthquake since 1900.

As time passed and no government help appeared, del Giudice became exasperated and flailed at the rubble.

"It is a lot of rock, and with bare hands it is impossible," she said, sitting not far from where she thought her son was trapped.

Her grandson Alessandro, 23, donned a volunteer firefighter's helmet and joined in the search for his missing father.

"He is in there," he said, sobbing as he looked at the remains of what was once a building.

Read full story here.

The death of two Spanish nationals were confirmed by their relatives, Spain's foreign ministry said on Friday, without giving specifics.

Eighty Spaniards were unaccounted for, the foreign ministry added.

A senior American military official has arrived in Venezuela's capital Caracas to oversee US relief efforts in the aftermath of powerful twin earthquakes that killed at least 235 people, the US military said on Friday.

"U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Jarrard arrived in Caracas, Venezuela, today, to oversee Department of War support to Venezuela earthquake relief efforts," said the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), whose area of responsibility covers Latin America and the Caribbean.

SOUTHCOM is supporting relief operations by the State Department and Jarrard is serving as the senior SOUTHCOM official on the ground, it said in a statement on X.

"The interim Government of Venezuela formally requested U.S. support following the earthquakes," the statement said.

Two Chinese nationals were confirmed among the victims of the earthquakes as of Thursday afternoon, Beijing's state news agency Xinhua reported, citing the embassy in Caracas.

The embassy posted a statement on its official WeChat account, urging Chinese citizens in Venezuela to "take precautions against secondary disasters caused by aftershocks and (other) earthquakes.

The two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela's northern coast were an event known as a "doublet."

Doublet earthquakes happen when a pair of similar-sized quakes hit close in location and time, according to the US Geological Survey. On Wednesday evening, a 7.2 magnitude quake hit first, followed by a magnitude 7.5 just 39 seconds later.

While not as common as a typical earthquake where a main shock is followed by much smaller aftershocks, doublets can happen anywhere in the world, Christine Goulet, director of the USGS earthquake science center in California, told The Associated Press.

The foreign ministry of Brazil, which shares a border with Venezuela, said Thursday that two of its citizens -- a man and a woman -- had died in the disaster.

The government was providing their relatives with consular assistance, the ministry said.

A powerful earthquake in Venezuela has raised fresh concerns over India's rapidly expanding oil trade with the South American nation. Industry experts warn that shipping delays, port disruptions and higher insurance costs could follow.

Several countries have Early Earthquake Warnings - sometimes shortened to EEW - including the United States, Mexico, Japan, Turkey, Romania, China, Italy and Taiwan, according to the US Geological Survey.

Venezuela does not have a national EEW. Still, some people in Venezuela received warnings seconds or even minutes before the shaking began through Google's Android Earthquake Alerts system.

The warning system relies on crowdsourced data from the sensors in individual cellphones to detect seismic events and send warnings to other phone users in the area. It has greatly expanded since it rolled out in 2020 with 250 million people receiving alerts in 2020, to over 2.5 billion today, according to Richard Allen, director of the Berkeley Seismology Lab.

It alerts about 60 earthquakes each month to an average of 18 million phones, according to Allen's website.

Starlink, the satellite internet unit of Elon Musk's SpaceX, said on Thursday it will provide free services to its users in Venezuela for a month, after two earthquakes hit the South American nation.

The company is also working to "rapidly deploy Starlink terminals and restore connectivity to the hardest-hit areas," Starlink said on X.

The death count in Venezuela earthquakes has now risen to at least 235, the health ministry said Thursday evening.

Health Minister Carlos Alvarado raised the count from 188 and more than 1,500 injured in Wednesday's quake. 

A team of rescue workers and medical personnel left for Venezuela on Thursday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said, although she did not indicate how many people were in the group. She added Mexico would evaluate on Friday whether to send additional help.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the earthquakes in Venezuela and the country's need for aid in a call with his Venezuelan counterpart Yvan Gil on Thursday, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.

Fidan also said Turkey would continue to help and support Venezuela, the source said.

(Reuters)

President of Venezuela's National Assembly says earthquakes have killed at least 188 people and trapped more than 200.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that he has been in touch with acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez and that his country has been providing support.

He said the US has deployed "search and rescue teams".

"We're already deploying search and rescue teams from Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles. There'll be some others we'll add," Rubio told reporters. "That's their most immediate need right now: search and rescue efforts."

France, Spain and the US have offered to send rescuers after the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes struck areas west of the capital on Wednesday evening. The state of La Guaira, north of Caracas, was hit hard.

"We have nothing, right now we have nothing, not even the strength or the courage to go in there, just imagine," Larry Rojas, 49, told AFP, standing in front of a collapsed building where his family was trapped in the La Guaira city of Catia La Mar.

The coastal city was without electricity, and many residents spent the night in the streets or searching for their relatives.

At least 164 dead and 971 injured after powerful quakes rock Venezuela, said Acting President Delcy Rodríguez

Germany is ready to deploy six military aircraft to help with relief efforts in Venezuela, defence minister Boris Pistorius has said.

"It is crucial to provide swift assistance," Pistorius said in a statement, adding that he was "deeply shocked" by the two earthquakes. 

"The German armed forces stands ready and can make up to six A400M transport aircraft available at short notice as soon as support is requested from us."

Crews were already preparing to deploy, he added.

The planes could be used to transport rescue workers and equipment from Germany to Venezuela, and also for flights within the country, Pistorius said.

Wednesday's Venezuela earthquake of magnitude 7.5 is the most powerful to hit the country since 1900, according to US monitor data.

The US is "immediately deploying" rescuers and aid to Venezuela, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said.

"America stands with the Venezuelan people during this difficult time and at the direction of President Trump, the State Department is immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela," he wrote on X.

The Great Chilean Earthquake, also known as the Valdivia earthquake, is the strongest earthquake ever recorded. It struck southern Chile on May 22, 1960, with a magnitude of 9.5. It killed around 1,655 people, injured thousands, and left about 2 million people homeless. 

“Dozens of buildings have collapsed, and we are engaged in the arduous task of rescuing the lives that God allows us to save. The state of La Guaira is facing a true tragedy and has become a disaster zone,” acting President Delcy Rodriguez has said.

Acting Venezuela President Delcy Rodriguez has said that 32 people have been killed and 700 others injured in earthquakes, with more casualties expected.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that he is "deeply saddened by the devastation" caused by the severe earthquakes in Venezuela.

"On behalf of the people of India, I extend our heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of Venezuela, especially to the families who have lost their loved ones. We pray for the speedy recovery of those injured and stand in solidarity with all those affected during this difficult time," he posted on X.

India stands ready to extend all possible assistance, he added.

Deeply saddened by the devastation caused by the severe earthquakes in Venezuela.
On behalf of the people of India, I extend our heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of Venezuela, especially to the families who have lost their loved ones. We pray for the speedy…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 25, 2026

At least three people have been confirmed dead in Caracas' Baruta in the powerful earthquakes, the municipality's mayor has said on X.

President Donald Trump has said that the United States stood "ready, willing, and able to help" Venezuela after the nation was hit by two powerful earthquakes.

"The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. 

"The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good!!!," he added.

The powerful earthquakes shook the stadium during a baseball game in Caracas, sparking panic among the players.

The earthquakes triggered panic in Caracas and drove people into the streets, AFP journalists saw.

"The stairs came away, the whole wall cracked. Things fell from the ceiling. It was horrible," 54-year-old bank employee Odalis Escalona told the news agency AFP.

"It was unbelievable, I don't even know how long it lasted," said shopkeeper Heidi Romero, who was on the top floor of the shopping centre when the quake struck.

"We went out through the emergency stairs; that's how they got us out," the 42-year-old told AFP.

Carmen Guedez, 69, was in the same room as her bedridden sister when she felt the tremors.

"It kept getting stronger," said the administrator. "I started to see the windows begin to move and then everything shook."

She described how she "huddled together" with her sister and a neighbour, adding that "we couldn't get out. The neighbours are still out on the street."

20 aftershocks had followed the two powerful earthquakes, which struck the same area of Venezuela, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The strongest tremors in earthquake-prone Venezuela's recent history occurred in 1997, killing 73 people, and in Caracas in 1967, when 236 people died.

The US said late on Wednesday it was in touch with Venezuelan authorities following strong earthquakes and was mobilising assistance for the South American nation.

"We're in touch with the authorities and mobilizing assistance," Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on X. He said the earthquakes were "devastating."

The strong earthquakes forced evacuations in areas spread as far as Brazil's Amazon, which is about 1,700 kilometres away.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has said that "high casualties and extensive damage are probable" and the disaster is likely widespread, initially estimating the death count would most likely range from 10,000 to 1,00,000.

Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said that classes are being cancelled for several days.

The first quake occurred at 2204 GMT (3:34 AM IST), and a 7.5-magnitude quake struck about thirty-nine seconds later.

The earthquakes damaged Venezuela's main airport, Simon Bolivar International Airport, severely enough to lead to its closure. A video on social media showed people panicking at the airport after the earthquake. A part of the airport was also seen collapsing.

In a brief address to the nation, acting President Delcy Rodriguez said the earthquakes caused damages in several states. She, however, did not give any figures of homes and buildings damaged, injuries or fatalities.

These two quakes are among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century.

The first earthquake had a magnitude of 7.2, and its epicentre was west of the community of Moron, about 168 kilometres west of the capital, Caracas. The quake had a depth of 22 kilometres.

The second earthquake struck just a minute later, with a 7.5-magnitude. It had a depth of 10 kilometres, and its epicentre was 16 kilometres southwest of Moron.

Two powerful earthquakes hit Venezuela on Wednesday evening (local time), damaging buildings and prompting acting president Delcy Rodriguez to declare a state of emergency.