{"id":522742,"date":"2026-06-28T14:35:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T14:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/522742\/"},"modified":"2026-06-28T14:35:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T14:35:39","slug":"venezuelans-search-rubble-for-survivors-after-two-earthquakes-kill-at-least-589-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/522742\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuelans search rubble for survivors after two earthquakes kill at least 589"},"content":{"rendered":"

Venezuelans searched for survivors beneath collapsed buildings and rescue teams raced to northern areas rocked by a pair of powerful earthquakes that killed at least 589 people and left thousands injured.<\/p>\n

Acting president Delcy Rodr\u00edguez announced the new death toll on Friday, surrounded by government and military officials as she welcomed the arrival of rescue crews from all over the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going to rescue the people who are trapped,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are working tirelessly on this task.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said the state of La Guaira has been hardest hit by the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck on Wednesday evening, noting that it has been militarised as crews search for survivors and distribute food and water.<\/p>\n

The number of casualties is expected to climb with thousands reported missing.<\/p>\n

Ms Rodr\u00edguez noted that crews have rescued dozens of people, saying, \u201cIt brings us joy that they can embrace their families and loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

The earthquakes were among the strongest in Venezuela in more than a century and were felt throughout the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, we have received around 235 patients who arrive without vital signs or die when they arrive at our health facilities,\u201d health minister Carlos Alvarado told state media.<\/p>\n

The coastal region of La Guaira, which is north of the capital, Caracas, experienced some of the heaviest damage and casualties, officials said.<\/p>\n

\"VenezuelaPeople take goods from damaged stores a day after earthquakes and aftershocks struck Catia La Mar, Venezuela (Jonathan Lanza\/AP)\n<\/p>\n

Buildings were evacuated as far away as Brazil\u2019s Amazon, about 1,700 kilometres (1,050 miles) from Caracas, where the country\u2019s main airport was damaged and closed.<\/p>\n

In cities across northern Venezuela, panicked residents poured into the streets and many walked among the debris searching for the missing.<\/p>\n

Television broadcasts showed rescue workers using power tools to get through piles of rubble.<\/p>\n

In La Guaira, retired schoolteacher Juan Alberto Mendano climbed through wreckage and past a dead body when he spotted a woman who was trapped and signalling with her hand for help.<\/p>\n

\"APTOPIXNeighbors carry a man rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building the day after earthquakes struck La Guaira, Venezuela (Pedro Mattey\/AP)\n<\/p>\n

\u201cGod, let them rescue her as quickly as possible,\u201d said Mr Mendano.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we heard the scream, there was nothing we could do.\u201d<\/p>\n

At another damaged apartment complex, residents shouted the names of missing people: \u201cMirna! Marquitos!\u201d<\/p>\n

Offers of help poured in from around the world, including from the US, which seized Venezuela\u2019s then-president Nicolas Maduro at the beginning of the year in a surprise military operation.<\/p>\n

The natural disaster poses a major challenge for acting president Ms Rodriguez, the former vice president who took office in January after Maduro\u2019s capture.<\/p>\n

Venezuela has been facing economic disarray for more than a decade, and many people reject the legitimacy of the political movement Ms Rodriguez represents.<\/p>\n

\"VenezuelaPeople sleep in the streets a day after an earthquake and several aftershocks struck Caracas, Venezuela (Ariana Cubillos\/AP)\n<\/p>\n

While Venezuela sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates makes strong earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America.<\/p>\n

The US Geological Survey said the first earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.2, hit west of Moron on the Caribbean coast, about 170 kilometres (105 miles) west of Caracas.<\/p>\n

It had a depth of 22 kilometres (about 14 miles).<\/p>\n

\"APTOPIXAn injured woman walks in La Guaira, Venezuela, a day after an earthquake struck the area (Pedro Mattey\/AP)\n<\/p>\n

Just a minute later, USGS reported a second 7.5 magnitude earthquake, with a depth of 10 kilometres (about six miles) and an epicentre 16 kilometres (10 miles) south-west of Moron.<\/p>\n

Officials urged people to remain outside as aftershocks could cause further damage.<\/p>\n

During the quakes, people ran from swaying buildings.<\/p>\n

Many were stunned on Thursday morning as they saw buildings reduced to skeletons, furniture hanging out of windows and helicopters circling overhead.<\/p>\n

\"VenezuelaResident walk among damaged buildings after an earthquake in La Guaira, Venezuela (Pedro Mattey\/AP)\n<\/p>\n

In La Guaira, Cristian Carreno stared at his charred apartment building tilting precariously to one side.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost everything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are people still inside, I imagine, that couldn\u2019t get out. It\u2019s incredibly devastating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dayana Delgado, mother of three children, said she was desperate because her eight-year-old son was missing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to know where my child is, if he\u2019s trapped or in a shelter,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Ms Delgado asked where the heavy machinery was that government officials had promised, pointing out that neighbours were the ones digging through the rubble.<\/p>\n

\"VenezuelaRescue workers search through the rubble after an earthquake in La Guaira, Venezuela (Pedro Mattey\/AP)\n<\/p>\n

Authorities warned people against returning to homes with structural damage.<\/p>\n

In central Caracas, hundreds spent the night huddled in parks, car parks and other open spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were afraid the buildings would collapse on us,\u201d said Maria Cristina Diaz, a 41-year-old janitor.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother, my daughter and I were cold. We didn\u2019t sleep a wink.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was awful. We cried, we screamed. Thankfully, we\u2019re alive,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Parts of the capital lost power and mobile service, Ms Rodriguez said.<\/p>\n

\"VenezuelaDamaged buildings stand in Catia La Mar, Venezuela (Jonathan Lanza\/AP)\n<\/p>\n

Subway services were suspended and natural gas was shut off, she said.<\/p>\n

Classes will also be cancelled for several days, and the Ministry of Education said some school buildings would be used as shelters and donation centres.<\/p>\n

Families began posting missing-person flyers with photos of loved ones, while others shared handwritten lists of names as they searched for those still unaccounted for.<\/p>\n

Venezuelans living abroad struggled to make contact with relatives.<\/p>\n

The UN human rights mission in Venezuela called on the government to lift local restrictions on social media so people can get more timely access to potentially life-saving information.<\/p>\n

In August 2024, Maduro ordered X blocked in an attempt to suppress the exchange of information among those who rejected his claim of victory in the July presidential elections.<\/p>\n

Ms Rodriguez declared a state of emergency in an address to the nation late on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

She said the government was creating a 200 million dollar reconstruction fund for hospitals and homes damaged by the earthquakes, and had instructed the economy and finance ministers to oversee the effort.<\/p>\n

Countries from across the world from Qatar to Mexico began to send aid to Venezuela.<\/p>\n

Ms Rodriguez expressed thanks for the messages of support and offers for help.<\/p>\n

\"VenezuelaPeople embrace after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela (Ariana Cubillos\/AP)\n<\/p>\n

US secretary of state Marco Rubio, who had spoken to Ms Rodriguez following the quake, said the US is \u201cimmediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a whole government response,\u201d Mr Rubio said on Thursday in Bahrain, noting the were facing logistical obstacles with Caracas\u2019 airport collapsed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be big. It will be fast. It will be effective.\u201d<\/p>\n

Venezuelan public television showed the arrival of rescue workers and aid from Chile at a military base in Aragua state early on Friday, while a team of 80 specialists and eight search dogs from Switzerland also arrived with aid supplies.<\/p>\n

Turkey announced two flights will leave Istanbul on Friday with military, medical and rescue personnel and a pair of search dogs. Leaders from Qatar, Brazil, Spain, Portugal and Canada also vowed to send assistance.<\/p>\n

Rescue teams from El Salvador and the Dominican Republic arrived in Venezuela on Thursday, along with rescuers and material aid from Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo country is prepared to provide the response that\u2019s needed. That\u2019s what neighbouring countries are there for,\u201d Dominican Air Force Major Carlos Olivares said.<\/p>\n

The Venezuelan diaspora was also helping. In Ecuador, Felix Rodriguez said his store was receiving donations from his fellow Venezuelans as well as Ecuadorians.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy business is always ready for whatever Venezuela needs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Venezuelans searched for survivors beneath collapsed buildings and rescue teams raced to northern areas rocked by a pair…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":520053,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[246,61,60,82],"class_list":["post-522742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=522742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522742\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/520053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=522742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=522742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=522742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}