By Ayomide Otitoju
At least 235 people have been confirmed dead and more than 4,300 injured after two powerful earthquakes struck northern Venezuela within less than a minute of each other, triggering widespread destruction and hampering rescue efforts.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquakes measured magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 and struck late Wednesday, causing buildings to crack, collapse and tilt dangerously across several communities. Powerful aftershocks continued to shake the affected areas on Thursday.
Venezuelan Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said the death toll had risen to at least 235, with thousands of others sustaining injuries.
Rescue operations continued amid difficult conditions, as emergency responders and residents searched through collapsed buildings for survivors. In several locations, people remained trapped beneath the rubble for hours, while shortages of equipment and trained personnel slowed rescue efforts.
In one of the hardest-hit communities in La Guaira State, residents said they could hear a young girl calling for help from beneath a collapsed building but lacked the tools needed to rescue her.
“We need people, military personnel, to come and help so we can get her out,” resident Dani Rizo said.
Another resident, Antonio Bermudez, described the frustration of watching survivors remain trapped.
“They’re still alive. There’s nothing more we can do. We don’t have any tools. We have no way to help,” he said.
At Domingo Luciani Hospital, a doctor who requested anonymity said several children rescued from collapsed buildings had arrived without relatives.
“Some children provide their names, while others arrive with identification tape on their arms,” the doctor said.
A rescue worker also described operations as extremely challenging due to limited technical capacity and a shortage of trained emergency personnel.
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez visited La Guaira on Thursday after authorities declared the area a disaster zone.
Nicole Kast, Venezuela’s director of the International Rescue Committee, described the humanitarian situation as catastrophic.
The disaster has prompted an international response, with Switzerland, Spain, France, Portugal and Mexico deploying rescue specialists and emergency teams to assist Venezuelan authorities.
The United States announced it was sending two warships, transport aircraft and helicopters while mobilising approximately $150 million in humanitarian assistance.
“We have a whole-of-government response. It’ll be big, it’ll be fast, and it’ll be effective,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
Support has also been pledged by China, India, Brazil and Iran, while Pope Leo XIV announced an initial donation of €100,000 for relief efforts.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep sadness over the disaster, as the UN pledged support for Venezuela’s recovery.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said the country’s strongest earthquake in 126 years would require “massive collective efforts” to address its humanitarian impact.
Relief operations may face additional challenges after La Guaira’s international airport sustained significant damage and was forced to close.
Authorities confirmed that foreign nationals were among the victims, including two Brazilians, two Chinese citizens, one Italian and one Portuguese national.
Venezuela’s northern coastline lies along the boundary between the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates. Wednesday’s 7.5-magnitude earthquake was the country’s strongest since October 1900, when a magnitude 7.7 offshore earthquake struck the region.
The tremors were also felt across neighbouring Colombia, prompting precautionary evacuations in Bogotá, while seismic activity was reported in several northern Brazilian cities.
In the capital, Caracas, scenes of panic unfolded as many residents spent the night outdoors or inside their vehicles over fears of additional aftershocks.
Among those searching for missing relatives was Rita Gomez, who travelled to Caracas after learning through social media that the apartment building where her daughter lived had collapsed.
She said heavy rescue equipment had arrived at the site and praised neighbours for assisting emergency workers.
“We are trusting in God that they will find her alive,” Gomez said.
