Venezuela earthquake death toll climbs over 1,400 as rescuers search

Foreign rescue teams, including three from the United States, were racing after the attack. twin earthquakes The disaster shook Venezuela’s northern coast this week, as the death toll from the disaster surpassed 1,400, officials said.

The number is expected to rise, according to U.S. Geological Survey data, which estimates more than 10,000 fatalities are possible.

Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, said 33 people, including children, have been rescued so far. Rodríguez announced on X overnight that a teenager had been pulled from the rubble in the coastal state of La Guaira, with a video showing rescue workers carrying him on a stretcher.

“An 11-year-old boy was rescued alive a few minutes ago in Caraballeda.” he wrote. “Every life right now is a source of hope for Venezuela.”

But as the number of survivors dwindles, the fate of tens of thousands of people remains unknown.

“There’s a window of about three days, 72 hours, and then the likelihood of being able to rescue people alive decreases,” Sebastian Eugster, leader of the Swiss rescue team, told Reuters on June 27.

two earthquakesOn June 24, 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes hit within a minute of each other and devastated the region.

Venezuelan officials said more than 1,600 foreign search and rescue teams were in the country and more were on the way. These include elite emergency units in Fairfax County, Virginia; Los Angeles County, California; and Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Workers were sent throughout La Guaira and parts of the capital Caracas; Here, families and volunteers have spent the last few days pulling survivors and bodies from the rubble despite a lack of heavy equipment and limited guidance from authorities.

Reuters in Caraballeda, one of the areas worst affected by the disaster reported He said U.S. helicopters repeatedly carried rescue workers to a dusty landing zone.

On June 26, Rodríguez, whose predecessor was dismissed by the United States in a raid in January, spoke by phone with the US President. Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said both “reaffirmed the U.S. government’s support at this difficult time for Venezuela.”

Venezuelan authorities announced that at least 1,430 people died and more than 3,200 people were injured in the earthquakes that occurred on June 27. One lawmaker said more than 3,000 people were left homeless.

Pope Leo XIV told worshipers in Rome on June 28 that he wanted to “express my closeness to my Venezuelan sisters and brothers affected by the recent earthquakes” and expressed gratitude to rescue workers.

Contributor: Reuters; Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY

This article first appeared on USA TODAY: Death toll from Venezuela earthquake rises above 1,400 as rescue teams search