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Crews race to find survivors in mountains of rubble after Venezuela earthquakes
🇺🇸 United States /Disasters & Emergencies

Crews race to find survivors in mountains of rubble after Venezuela earthquakes

From PBS NewsHour · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Rescue efforts are underway in Venezuela following two powerful earthquakes that struck seconds apart.
  • Over 900 people are confirmed dead, with tens of thousands still missing.
  • The scale of the disaster is immense, with hospitals overflowing and morgues full, as international aid begins to arrive.

The race against time is on in Venezuela as rescue crews dig through mountains of rubble, searching for survivors of two powerful earthquakes. The quakes, which struck just seconds apart, have claimed over 900 lives, and tens of thousands remain missing.

Destruction is widespread, with rescue workers drilling through debris to reach those still trapped days after the disaster. The sheer number of dead has overwhelmed facilities, with bodies lining roads as hospital morgues are full. Online lists of the missing now contain tens of thousands of names, including families and children, highlighting the profound grief and desperation gripping the nation.

My brother, my sister-in-law, my niece, my nephew, and friends are in there. I got here yesterday at 4:00 in the afternoon, and nothing has happened. They haven't cleared anything. Where's the help? I don't see it.

— Nazareth JimenezA resident of La Guaira, Venezuela, expresses her frustration and desperation over the slow pace of rescue efforts at her family's collapsed home.

Residents like Nazareth Jimenez are desperately searching for loved ones, with Jimenez expressing frustration over the lack of progress in clearing her family's collapsed home. Omar Reyes described losing over 20 relatives and feeling utterly alone, walking through the devastation that left him with no home.

More than 20 of my relatives have died. I have been left practically alone in this world. I am alone.

— Omar ReyesA resident of La Guaira, Venezuela, describes the personal devastation and loss he has suffered in the earthquake.

This is Venezuela's worst natural disaster in over a century. The twin earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, have reduced buildings to rubble, creating apocalyptic scenes, particularly in La Guaira, north of Caracas. The damage is extensive, with entire blocks and buildings obliterated, leading the state to be placed under military control. Beatriz Ochoa of the Norwegian Refugee Council described the coastal areas as looking "bombed," with buildings blown open and an immense toll.

Caracas' hospitals are overflowing, with many patients receiving treatment outdoors as the crisis unfolds.

The damage appears worst closest to the coast. It looks like the city's been bombed, buildings blown open. The toll is immense.

— Beatriz OchoaAn official from the Norwegian Refugee Council describes the extensive destruction in coastal areas of Venezuela following the earthquakes.
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Originally published by PBS NewsHour. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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