Bare hands and shovels shift through the rubble, while a drone scans overhead. Every moment, every action matters. It is a race against time to find survivors in La Guaira, the coastal state bordering Caracas and one of the areas hit hardest by the back-to-back earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday.
Officials have confirmed at least 1,430 deaths from the magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes – the latter among the strongest recorded in the country in the last century. Hundreds of buildings collapsed, and beneath the rubble, thousands of Venezuelans remain. The number of dead and injured rises by the hour. The UN estimates around 50,000 people are missing.
“At least 1,430 dead and 50,000 missing in Venezuela after two earthquakes, families search rubble with bare hands.”
Residents and families are desperately searching for their loved ones, listening for any sound that might indicate someone alive trapped under concrete and wire debris. National rescue teams are scarce, although international rescuers from Mexico, Spain, the US and the UK have arrived to join the effort.
In Catia La Mar, one of the coastal towns in La Guaira state, the mood is bleak. Few structures remain standing. People linger anxiously around areas where they believe their relatives might be trapped. Jesús Suárez travelled 200km to search for his son, Jean Suárez.
“There’s no information at all. People who know him say they didn’t see him come out or anything,” he said. Pointing to the rubble of a collapsed building, he added: “I believe he might be in there.” Suárez faces a dilemma that many here share: “It’s impossible to rescue him… There is no sophisticated equipment here. A human being alone cannot do it – it’s too dangerous.”
Humanitarian aid agencies say the first 48 to 72 hours are crucial for rescuing people alive, although this window can be longer if those trapped have access to food and water. Government forces have distributed food and water to survivors. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez has said the government is deploying a comprehensive rescue response during these “critical hours to rescue people alive”.
“Every person saved is a miracle,” said Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly. “We will not hide anything about the scale of this tragedy.”