Venezuela earthquake: 1,450 dead, tens of thousands missing, rescue efforts continue
In the hardest-hit La Guaira area, power has been restored to 75 percent, water to 68 percent, and road traffic to about 90 percent, with road access and traffic largely returning to normal, acting President Delcy Rodríguez said on Sunday. When the ground stops shaking, another battle begins — the battle for life. 1,450 dead is not just a number. It is mothers, fathers, children who will not return home. Tens of thousands missing is a silence that grows louder with every passing hour.
Rescue workers are operating around the clock, but time is their greatest enemy. The 72 hour critical window has already passed, yet they continue to sift through the rubble because they know that somewhere under the concrete, a heart may still be beating.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said on Sunday that the death toll from the two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday had risen to 1,450. Although the critical 72 hours after the quake have passed, numerous rescue teams from Venezuela and around the world continue search and rescue operations in the affected areas. On Sunday local time, a father and son were rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in La Guaira.
Several more people trapped under the debris were also saved that day. Rodríguez said on Sunday that 33 people had been rescued over the weekend, including several children, but tens of thousands remain missing, and time is running out to find survivors.
The two earthquakes, of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, struck less than a minute apart on June 24, making them the most powerful to hit Venezuela in over a century. La Guaira, a coastal state near the epicentre, suffered the heaviest damage.
Infrastructure lies in ruins: dozens of buildings have collapsed, hospitals are overwhelmed, and hundreds of thousands have been left homeless. International aid is arriving, but access to remote areas is hampered by landslides and destroyed roads. Search and rescue operations continue, and every life saved is a small victory against a disaster that has already claimed too many.
As reported by CCTV+, rescue efforts are ongoing, the international community is providing support, and Venezuelan authorities are doing everything possible to save those still waiting for help beneath the rubble.
