LA GUAIRA, Venezuela — The death toll from Venezuela's devastating twin earthquakes has climbed above 1,400 as rescue crews from Venezuela and abroad continued searching for survivors in the country's hardest-hit coastal communities, authorities said on Saturday, while aftershocks and damaged infrastructure complicated emergency operations.
The latest official figures underscore the scale of one of Venezuela's deadliest natural disasters in more than a century. Emergency teams have focused their efforts on La Guaira and parts of Caracas, where residential buildings collapsed after the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck on Wednesday. Thousands of people remain unaccounted for, although authorities have cautioned that missing-person reports may include duplicate submissions and have not confirmed a final number.
Officials said more than 1,600 foreign rescue personnel had arrived in Venezuela to reinforce local emergency responders, with additional international teams expected. Search operations have relied on specialized equipment, rescue dogs and heavy machinery as crews worked through unstable debris while balancing safety concerns created by continuing aftershocks.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said 14,000 military and police personnel had been deployed to support rescue, security and relief operations in affected areas. "The critical hours for rescuing people alive are running out," Rodríguez said, according to official remarks reported by multiple media outlets, as authorities urged residents to stay clear of damaged structures and restricted access to some disaster zones to facilitate emergency work.
Residents and volunteers have continued to search for missing relatives, with many spending days near collapsed buildings awaiting news. Some survivors have been rescued from the rubble since the earthquakes struck, providing intermittent signs of hope as emergency crews pressed ahead despite difficult conditions and limited access to parts of the disaster area.
International assistance has expanded in recent days. Governments from several countries, along with humanitarian organizations including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, have deployed rescue specialists, medical supplies and emergency aid. The federation has also launched an emergency appeal to support relief operations in Venezuela.
Authorities said the official death toll stood at at least 1,430 on Saturday, while rescue operations remained underway and casualty figures could change as teams continued searching damaged buildings and verifying reports from affected communities.
