Date: June 29, 2026 l Reporter: Kingston Nwosu
CARACAS, Venezuela — Rescue teams from around the world continued an urgent search for survivors across northern Venezuela on Sunday as the death toll from the country's devastating twin earthquakes climbed to nearly 1,500, while tens of thousands of people remained missing beneath collapsed buildings and isolated communities.
The powerful earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, struck Venezuela's northern coast on June 24, causing catastrophic destruction across the coastal state of La Guaira and parts of the capital, Caracas. Entire neighbourhoods were flattened, residential towers collapsed, roads were severed, and critical infrastructure sustained extensive damage.
Authorities reported that 33 people had been rescued over the weekend, providing rare moments of hope amid an increasingly desperate search effort. Rescue workers from Venezuela, joined by more than 2,600 international emergency personnel, have continued combing through mountains of rubble using specialised equipment, rescue dogs, drones, and thermal imaging technology in an effort to locate survivors trapped beneath collapsed structures.
Despite those successes, officials warned that the humanitarian crisis remains severe. Government figures indicate that nearly 1,500 people have died, more than 3,150 have been injured, and over 12,700 residents have been displaced from their homes. The United Nations estimates that approximately 50,000 people remain unaccounted for, although authorities acknowledge that many may simply be unreachable due to disrupted communications and damaged infrastructure.
Emergency workers have been battling difficult conditions, including hundreds of aftershocks, unstable buildings, blocked roads, and shortages of heavy rescue equipment. Disaster experts warn that the likelihood of finding additional survivors decreases significantly with each passing day, making every hour of the operation increasingly critical.
Among the successful rescues were an infant pulled alive from the debris by an American search-and-rescue team and two 11-year-old boys rescued through a joint operation involving Colombian and Mexican emergency crews. Officials said these rescues have boosted the morale of exhausted responders who continue to work around the clock despite deteriorating conditions.
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez announced that schools in the worst-affected regions would remain closed while recovery efforts continue. She also reported that approximately 75 percent of electricity services had been restored in impacted areas, though many communities remain without reliable access to power, clean water, healthcare, or telecommunications. Authorities said additional humanitarian assistance is arriving from international partners as relief operations expand.
The disaster has also affected Venezuela's energy sector. Operations at the country's largest oil refinery, Amuay, were suspended following widespread power outages linked to the earthquakes, raising concerns about further economic disruption as the nation struggles to respond to one of the worst natural disasters in its modern history.
Humanitarian organisations have appealed for increased international assistance, warning that the coming weeks will require significant resources for emergency shelter, medical care, food distribution, sanitation, and long-term reconstruction. Aid agencies also continue to stress the importance of restoring communications to help families locate missing relatives and coordinate relief efforts.
As rescue operations enter another critical phase, thousands of families remain gathered outside collapsed buildings, hospitals, and emergency shelters, clinging to hope that more survivors can still be found despite the rapidly narrowing window for successful rescues.