Families call out to loved ones trapped beneath rubble after Venezuela earthquakes
TLE Desk: Desperate families continued searching through collapsed buildings in Venezuela on Saturday, calling out to relatives believed to be trapped beneath the rubble after two powerful earthquakes devastated the country and left more than 1,400 people dead.
Residents in the coastal state of La Guaira, one of the areas worst affected by Wednesday’s twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, used their bare hands, shovels and drones in a race against time to locate survivors.
Authorities have confirmed at least 1,430 deaths, while the United Nations estimates that around 50,000 people remain missing. Hundreds of buildings have collapsed, and rescue officials warn the toll is expected to rise.
Although international rescue teams from Mexico, Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom and several other countries have joined local emergency workers, humanitarian agencies say resources remain insufficient as the critical 48 to 72-hour rescue window begins to close.
In the heavily damaged town of Catia La Mar, residents gathered outside collapsed apartment blocks, listening for voices or movement beneath the debris.
Jesús Suárez travelled nearly 200 kilometres searching for his missing son, Jean, who he believes remains trapped inside a collapsed building.
“There is no information at all,” Suárez said. “I believe he might be in there.”
He said rescuing survivors was nearly impossible without specialised equipment.
“There is no sophisticated machinery here. A person alone cannot do it. It is too dangerous,” he said.
Nearby, relatives of 31-year-old Carlos Eduardo said they had intermittently heard him groaning beneath the rubble.
“We kept calling his name and he answered with a sound,” one family member said. “Now we are simply waiting for help and hoping he can still be rescued alive.”
Rescue operations have frequently been interrupted as emergency workers repeatedly called for silence to detect signs of life beneath collapsed structures.
Residents have also begun reporting the smell of decomposing bodies, raising concerns over public health risks.
“There is already an odour from the dead,” said resident Glendys Delgado. “No one from the government has come here, but volunteers from Caracas have brought us food.”
Authorities said more than 860 foreign rescue personnel had arrived in Venezuela, with additional teams expected over the coming days.
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez said she had spoken with US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who pledged further rescue teams and humanitarian assistance.
Thousands of survivors remain homeless following the disaster.
Alexandra Gabino, whose apartment building was severely damaged, said she and her husband were now living with their two young children inside their car at Simón Bolívar International Airport, which has been closed because of earthquake damage.
“My mother lost her home, we lost ours. We have nothing,” she said.
“You try to stay strong for your children. People say what matters is that you’re alive, and that’s true, but it hurts to see everything disappear in a moment.”
Emergency officials warned that rescue efforts remain focused on locating survivors before hopes diminish further as time passes.
