Venezuela earthquake death toll hits 1,450, tens of thousands missing as rescue efforts enter fifth day

Rescue efforts continue despite fading hopes

Rescue operations in Venezuela entered their fifth day on Monday, with 30,000 national personnel and 2,700 international experts from 24 countries still searching for survivors. The critical 72-hour window for finding people alive under rubble has passed, but teams continue to pull survivors from collapsed buildings. A 60-year-old woman was rescued in Caraballeda after 86 hours, El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele reported. An 11-year-old boy was freed by a Colombian team after a six-hour operation, and an 18-day-old baby was found uninjured after 32 hours.

Today we rescued survivors, so the rescue operations will not be stopped.

Despite these successes, the smell of decomposing bodies is spreading in La Guaira. Human rights group Provea wrote on X that the odour is a sign that bodies remain under the debris. The official death toll stands at 1,450, according to National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, with around 3,200 injured.

Humanitarian crisis deepens

More than 70,000 families need humanitarian assistance. Many are sleeping outdoors or in emergency shelters. The UN estimates up to 6.7 million people may be affected, with 680,000 children lacking reliable access to safe drinking water and many schools damaged. UNICEF's Venezuela head Rodríguez Pumarol said 432 schools were damaged in the capital district alone, roughly one in three. The UN has put the material damage at $6.7 billion, about six percent of Venezuela's GDP.

More than 50,000 people are still missing.

An unofficial missing persons platform has received nearly 79,000 reports, with over 47,000 still listed as missing. Power and mobile networks remain down in some areas, complicating family reunifications.

Government faces mounting criticism

Anger at the authorities is growing. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez was booed during a visit to an earthquake-affected neighbourhood. Citizens complain of a lack of state coordination, with many volunteers digging through rubble with their bare hands. The government has restricted access to La Guaira state and deployed the military; volunteers must obtain a security pass, but registration offices are often closed, according to social media videos.

Every second counts. Every second. Yet the government of Delcy Rodríguez is keeping rescue workers from their work for a political act.

Opposition leader María Corina Machado announced she wants to return to Venezuela because of the earthquake, but the US government considers such a step inappropriate at this time, the New York Times reported.

International response and damage assessment

The twin quakes, separated by just 39 seconds, struck early Wednesday evening local time. At least 430 aftershocks have been recorded. Around 780 homes and 38 hospitals were destroyed or severely damaged, with a total of 2,500 buildings and facilities collapsed. The presidency has set up a special commission to assess damage and the habitability of structures.

International teams from El Salvador, Ecuador, Spain, Colombia, and Germany's THW are among those assisting. The UN and aid organisations are calling for emergency shelter, safe water, sanitation, health care, and protection for the affected population.

Political backdrop

Venezuela was already in a fragile state before the earthquake, suffering from years of economic decline and political tensions. In January, a US military operation captured former authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro. Delcy Rodríguez, then vice president, became acting president. The disaster has further strained a country where public services were already hollowed out.