Rescue teams search through collapsed buildings after the Venezuela earthquake
Rescue teams continued searching for survivors on Sunday after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela earlier this week, leaving widespread destruction and thousands still unaccounted for.
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The death toll from Wednesday’s twin earthquakes climbed close to 1,500 as international rescue teams arrived in La Guaira, the worst-hit region in the country.
The coastal state, located about 40 kilometres north of Caracas, suffered extensive damage after dozens of buildings collapsed into rubble.
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said rescue and recovery operations would continue after teams recovered additional survivors on Sunday.
She announced the formation of a presidential commission to assess whether damaged buildings remain safe for use.
Rodriguez also confirmed that authorities extended school closures for another week and restored about 75% of electricity services in La Guaira.
The government thanked volunteers who delivered aid to affected areas but later restricted road access, saying traffic disrupted emergency operations.
Jorge Rodriguez, president of the National Assembly, said the death toll increased to 1,450 on Sunday. He added that 3,150 people suffered injuries, 12,721 were displaced and 774 buildings collapsed.
He said authorities remained focused on rescuing survivors and establishing temporary shelters for families who lost their homes.
Before foreign teams arrived, local residents and volunteers spent days searching through debris with limited equipment. Hundreds of aftershocks complicated rescue efforts and increased fears among survivors.
Officials said rescue teams saved at least 33 people by Saturday evening, including several children.
On Sunday, rescue workers pulled a father and son alive from a collapsed building as teams continued operations against time.
Although officials reported hundreds of missing or trapped people, an opposition-backed online registry listed nearly 50,000 people as unaccounted for. The figure declined from 55,000 a day earlier.
Rescue experts warned that the chances of finding survivors decrease sharply after the first 72 hours.
Sebastian Eugster, leader of the Swiss rescue team, said search dogs detected signs of life in several locations. However, crews could not reach some victims in time.
Several rescue operations delivered rare moments of relief.
US rescue crews saved an infant from the rubble on Saturday. Colombian teams also rescued an 11-year-old boy trapped beneath debris for several days.
Mexican rescue workers later rescued another child from a collapsed building in Caraballeda.
During the Angelus prayer in Rome, Pope Leo expressed solidarity with people affected by the disaster and thanked emergency responders.
US officials said additional financial assistance worth hundreds of millions of dollars could be announced soon, adding to earlier aid commitments.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s largest refinery, Amuay, suspended operations on Sunday after a major power outage in Falcon state.
