Serve On Team Led by Vernon Young Stranded as Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses 1,430

A crisis-response team from Serve On, led by Vernon Young, was stranded while trying to reach Venezuela’s earthquake rescue effort as the confirmed death toll from the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes surpassed 1,430 on Saturday.

Young, 57, said the team is “desperate to get out to Venezuela” and described the operation as time-critical, adding that “These things are always time critical.”

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The London Evening Standard reported that Simon Bolivar International Airport, the only international airport that serves Caracas, was “ravaged by the earthquakes,” leaving travel into the country “severely affected.”

The New York Times reported that the U.S. dispatched hundreds of rescue workers to help the Venezuelan government, with the death toll rising to 920 and at least 3,300 people injured, as Jorge Rodríguez said in a televised address on Friday that about 1,400 buildings have been damaged including 13 hospitals.

Euronews said the death toll rose to 1,430 as searches continued, with the country hit by back-to-back 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude tremors on Wednesday and injuring almost 4,000 people.

As American rescue workers began to arrive, the New York Times described the test of the “new alliance” between the two countries since President Trump engineered the ouster of Venezuela’s long-ruling autocratic leader earlier this year.

Jorge Rodríguez, the leader of the National Assembly, said in a televised address on Friday that at least 920 people had died, while the New York Times reported that hospitals were overwhelmed and one hospital in La Guaira was operating without running water.

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Euronews said more than 520 emergency responders from across the EU have been mobilised, naming assistance from the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Luxembourg, and reporting that the quakes affected at least 383 buildings and 13 hospitals.

The London Evening Standard reported that Young’s team was at Madrid Airport after connecting flights from Istanbul were cancelled, and that flights from Madrid have also been cancelled, leaving the volunteers stranded due to their reliance on civilian transport.

Euronews also reported that Spain deployed 59 military personnel from its Military Emergency Unit, two army engineers and eight canine units, while the Netherlands sent a team of 64 experts and eight search dogs from Eindhoven Air Base to Venezuela.

The New York Times said the U.S. military relief effort includes two ships, heavy cargo planes for delivering aid and helicopters, and it reported that Ms. Rodríguez said on social media she had spoken by phone with President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and that they had “reaffirmed” the backing of the United States.

In that same account, Ms. Rodríguez said they had committed to sending “rescue workers, specialized equipment, support for temporary shelters and humanitarian assistance for the affected families,” while the New York Times described more than 300 aftershocks across the north jolting the remains of apartments and office buildings.

Euronews reported that tens of thousands of people were reportedly still missing, and it said at least 383 buildings and 13 hospitals were affected, as emergency responders continued search operations in Venezuela’s hardest hit areas.

The London Evening Standard quoted Vernon Young saying, “We still believe we will make a decent contribution if we get there in the next day or two,” and it described the team’s seismic and acoustic equipment that can sense movement of deeply buried victims.

Reuters via WKZO said the U.N. humanitarian affairs office was coordinating deployment of international urban search-and-rescue teams, and it quoted Tom Fletcher saying, “The coming days will require a massive collective effort to support the government-led response and help communities.”