Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 1,430 as Jorge Rodriguez Reports 3,238 Injured

Twin earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday, and by Saturday afternoon National Assembly president Jorge Rodriguez said the death toll had risen to 1,430 with 3,238 people injured.

NBC News reported that the search for survivors entered a third day Saturday as people dug through rubble in La Guaira, one of Venezuela’s hardest-hit states, after 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes.

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NBC News said the toll of Wednesday’s quakes stood at at least 1,430 dead as of Saturday, while CNN later put the figure at “At least 1,450 people have died” in a Sunday update from Rodriguez.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez told state television that more than 14,000 members of the military and police are patrolling the area where access is now blocked and special permits are required to enter, as rescue teams continued to sift through collapsed homes and apartment buildings.

Venezuelans described a scarcity of government rescuers, with CBS News noting that people took the search for missing loved ones into their own hands citing a scarcity of government rescuers.

CNN said Venezuelans were voicing frustration over the government’s lack of heavy machinery to recover loved ones, and it quoted the National Assembly president’s Sunday update that “At least 1,450 people are confirmed dead.”

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Fox News said American search and rescue teams from Virginia, California and Florida were dispatched to Venezuela on Friday, joining the effort to pull people out of collapsed buildings, and it reported that authorities said 243 people have been saved so far.

Jorge Rodríguez said on state television Saturday that more than 14,000 members of the military and police are patrolling the area, while NBC News reported that over 2,000 rescue units from 21 international organizations were on the ground in Venezuela or en route.

As the window for rescue narrowed, CBS News said aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours to be a crucial time frame to retrieve people alive, though that can be extended if they have access to food and water.

NBC News reported that families reported at least 68,900 people missing as of Saturday, and it said people continued to sleep on the street as aftershocks shook Caracas and areas hit by the quakes.

The International Organization for Migration said up to 6.76 million people in Venezuela could be affected by the earthquakes, including some 2 million in Caracas alone, while NBC News said UNICEF estimated that 1.8 million people, including 680,000 children, were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in the country.

NBC News also reported that Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said her government was mounting a full response during these “critical hours for rescuing people alive,” as international rescue teams and Venezuelans searched for survivors with shovels, heavy equipment, ropes and bare hands.