Venezuela earthquake death toll nears 1,500 as race to find survivors intensifies

The death toll from Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes has climbed to nearly 1,500 as rescue teams continue searching for survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings, with authorities warning that time is running out.

The powerful magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck on Wednesday, devastating the coastal state of La Guaira, about 40 kilometres north of Caracas. Officials say the disaster has left more than 3,100 people injured, displaced over 12,700 residents and destroyed at least 774 buildings.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said rescue operations would continue after emergency crews recovered additional survivors on Sunday.

“Rescue and recovery efforts are ongoing. Today we have recovered people alive, and therefore operations are not being suspended. We always maintain hope,” she said.

Rodríguez also announced the formation of a presidential commission to assess the structural safety of damaged buildings, extended the suspension of school classes for another week and said electricity had been restored to around 75 percent of La Guaira.

More than 2,600 international rescue workers have joined Venezuelan emergency teams, searching through mountains of rubble with the help of specialised equipment and rescue dogs. Several survivors, including children, have been pulled alive from collapsed buildings in recent days.

Among the latest rescues were an infant freed by US rescue personnel, an 11-year-old boy rescued by Colombian teams after being trapped three metres beneath rubble, and another 11-year-old saved by Mexican crews. Officials say such rescues are becoming increasingly rare as the critical 72-hour survival window passes.

Swiss rescue team leader Sebastian Eugster said the chances of finding survivors decrease significantly after the first three days.

“There exists a window of roughly 72 hours where the probability of rescuing people alive is much higher,” he said.

Authorities say nearly 50,000 people remain unaccounted for, although that figure is based largely on reports submitted through an opposition-backed missing persons website and has not been independently verified.

The United States Geological Survey has warned the final death toll could exceed 10,000, potentially making the disaster one of the deadliest earthquakes in Latin America in the past century.

The catastrophe has also disrupted the country’s energy sector. Venezuela’s largest oil refinery, the 645,000-barrel-per-day Amuay refinery, suspended operations following a major power outage in western Falcón state.

International aid continues to arrive, with the United States expected to announce an additional humanitarian assistance package worth hundreds of millions of dollars, on top of the $150 million already pledged.

The earthquakes have struck Venezuela at a time of ongoing political and economic instability, further complicating relief efforts as authorities, volunteers and international rescue teams continue the search for survivors.