Venezuela earthquakes kill almost 1,500, with millions more in need

The death toll from Venezuela's twin earthquake disaster climbed to 1,430 on Saturday, with millions more feared to be in desperate need of sanitation and basic services as the first US aid flights arrived in Caracas. Facing public anger over the government's response, interim leader Delcy Rodriguez stated that Venezuela was "not alone." The United States confirmed that one runway at Simon Bolivar International Airport was operational, allowing C-17 military planes to land, while a naval ship reached the coast.

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The United States said one runway at Simon Bolivar International Airport was now functioning and that C-17 US military planes were landing there, while a naval ship had arrived off the coast.

Search-and-rescue teams from at least 17 countries are mobilizing, according to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA. However, local residents in the hardest-hit coastal area of La Guaira, north of Caracas, were seen desperately clawing at rubble from collapsed apartment buildings. Experts emphasize that the first 72 hours are critical for finding survivors. A moment of joy occurred Friday when locals pulled an infant alive from the wreckage, some 32 hours after the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 tremors.

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up to 6.76 million people could be affected, and would “require emergency shelter, safe water, sanitation and hygiene services, healthcare, protection support and essential relief items.”

The UN's migration agency estimates that up to 6.76 million people could be affected and require emergency shelter, safe water, sanitation, healthcare, and relief items. National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez reported 1,430 dead and 3,238 injured. The UN estimates physical damage at $6.7 billion, equivalent to 6% of Venezuela's GDP. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher warned the death toll could soar, with over 50,000 people missing.

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We were the ones who pulled them out ourselves. No help ever came.

Venezuelans, already struggling with a failing economy and political turmoil, expressed fury at the government's actions. Yessica Mendoza recounted transporting her own daughter to a morgue after she and her husband died in their collapsed home. "We were the ones who pulled them out ourselves. No help ever came," Mendoza told AFP. Some residents jeered Rodriguez during a visit to a destroyed neighborhood, shouting, "The government isn't doing anything for the people."

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The government isn’t doing anything for the people.