Death Toll In Venezuela Quakes Tops 1,400 As International Rescuers Arrive
La Guaira/Caracas: The number of fatalities from Venezuela’s powerful twin earthquakes climbed past 1,400 on Saturday as international rescue squads continued arriving and authorities intensified searches in the coastal areas hit hardest by the disaster, Reuters reported.
Rescuers and local volunteers fanned out across La Guaira and parts of Caracas, spending days extracting survivors and bodies from collapsed buildings. Many searchers have complained about a shortage of heavy machinery and a limited official presence at some sites, forcing people to dig by hand.
Foreign Teams Swell Response
Officials reported that more than 1,600 foreign rescuers had entered the country, with additional teams expected to arrive, bolstering an expanding international relief effort after the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes struck on Wednesday and unleashed hundreds of aftershocks.
In La Guaira — a coastal state popular with holidaymakers — residents described an uneven disaster response, saying some families were still combing through rubble without adequate equipment to reach loved ones.
Death Toll Reaches 1,430
Top lawmaker Jorge Rodríguez told state television that the death toll had reached 1,430. He said thousands had been injured, families had been moved to shelters and aid was being distributed across disaster zones, especially in La Guaira.
He also said authorities were still monitoring frequent aftershocks, underscoring the force of the twin earthquakes and the difficulties facing rescue crews working in unstable conditions.
Access Controls & Power Restoration
Authorities continued to restrict entry to La Guaira and maintained controls on the main road from Caracas, saying traffic was slowing emergency vehicles. Civilians not attached to official rescue teams needed credentials to pass checkpoints.
Power across the region was being restored gradually. Venezuela’s power grid, weakened by years of underinvestment and economic sanctions, regularly suffers failures, leading to prolonged blackouts in some areas.
55,000 Missing
Although government officials have 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 US Geological Survey estimated more than 10,000 deaths were possible from the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes, a toll that would rank the disaster among Latin America’s deadliest in a century.
Global Aid & Political Fallout
The U.S. has sent assistance to Venezuela in the wake of the quakes. A senior U.S. administration official said on Saturday that a nine-figure funding package is expected to be announced within the next day or so, in addition to $150 million that has already been committed by the Trump administration.
Pope Leo, speaking in Rome on Saturday, offered prayers for the victims, their families and those involved in relief operations, and said he hoped global solidarity with Venezuela would endure.
The disaster could have political consequences for Rodríguez, who has tried to portray herself as an agent of change even though she served as vice president to Nicolás Maduro, who was ousted and arrested by the US in January.
A White House official also told Reuters that a renewed push by Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who left Venezuela late last year, for U.S. help to return home is frustrating senior officials in Washington, who said it was too soon after the disaster.
