Venezuela Earthquakes Kill 920 as Rescuers Search La Guaira for Trapped Victims

Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening, and by Friday the death toll had risen to 920 with at least 3,300 injured, as rescuers raced to find victims trapped under rubble.

“How to help victims of deadly Venezuela earthquakes Scores of people were killed and hundreds have been injured”

ABC News

Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, said in a state TV broadcast on Friday that the death toll had reached 920 and that at least 172 people were still believed to be trapped.

ABC News

In La Guaira, the worst-hit state north of the capital Caracas, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said the state had been militarized and that “We are going to rescue the people who are trapped,” while the BBC reported families waiting desperately for news.

The earthquakes damaged critical infrastructure including Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía and overwhelmed emergency services, leaving many survivors without heavy machinery and with hospitals operating under strain.

The U.S. dispatched hundreds of rescue workers to help the Venezuelan government, and the Pentagon sent two ships, transport planes and helicopters as the death toll rose to 920.

As the search continued, CNN reported that displaced families in Caracas, La Guaira and surrounding areas had “nowhere to go,” while some residents called for civilian volunteers to help clear debris because they said the emergency response was insufficient.

Jorge Rodríguez reiterated that La Guaira, the hardest-hit area, is fully militarized and urged the public not to travel there, saying those without rescue or security duties should “please refrain from traveling to the state because you are obstructing the movement of personnel needed for our military, police, civil protection, firefighters, and rescue workers.”

AP News

The BBC quoted National assembly head Jorge Rodriguez saying the death toll had reached 920 and that at least 172 people were still believed to be trapped, while it also reported that Acting President Delcy Rodríguez told a televised briefing that dozens of people had been rescued alive.

Doctors told the BBC that even before the disaster “All our hospitals lack supplies, lack medicines, we are not able to provide medical attention to our people in a normal day,” and the BBC said the emergency was “even bigger and it's more difficult to face than in other countries.”

International response expanded as the U.S. announced deployment of warships and transport planes and $150m in aid, while the BBC said a UK military flight carrying British search and rescue teams, dogs and drones left RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday.

With aftershocks continuing and infrastructure damaged, the BBC reported there had been 214 aftershocks since the initial quakes and that hundreds of buildings had been damaged or destroyed, including hospitals and shopping centres.

The Weather Channel said the death toll had risen to at least 920 and that the quakes left “more than 51,000 missing,” while it reported that the state of La Guaira was militarized as crews searched for survivors and distributed food and water.

The U.S. relief effort was framed as a “whole-of-government response” by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told NPR: “We have a whole-of-government response. It'll be big; it'll be fast; and it'll be effective.”

NPR also reported that the U.S. committed to allocate $150 million to faith-based aid groups like Samaritan's Purse and Catholic Relief Services, and to two United Nations agencies: the World Food Programme and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The International Rescue Committee said the earthquakes “worsen the existing humanitarian crisis in Venezuela” and warned that essential rescue and recovery efforts may take weeks if not months, while it described the situation as “catastrophic” and said “People have lost everything in a matter of seconds.”