Rescue teams race to find survivors four days after double quake kills at least 1,430 in Venezuela

The quakes

Two powerful tremors struck northern and central Venezuela on the evening of 24 June, local time. The first, magnitude 7.2, was followed 39 seconds later by a magnitude 7.5 shock. Dozens of aftershocks compounded the destruction, and the hardest-hit area was the coastal state of La Guaira, home to the country’s main international airport and its largest seaport. Entire apartment blocks and public buildings crumbled within seconds.

Casualties and damage

By Sunday midday, authorities reported at least 1,430 confirmed deaths. More than 3,300 people had been treated for injuries, according to Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly. The number of missing remains uncertain; an official internet portal listed over 55,000 people as unaccounted for, though the figures cannot be independently verified. The government described the disaster as unprecedented.

“We have counted 1,430 dead so far.”

International rescue effort

Twenty-four countries have dispatched search-and-rescue teams, delivering more than 2,700 personnel and 521 tonnes of aid. The European Union activated its Civil Protection Mechanism on Sunday. A 60-year-old woman was pulled alive from rubble in Caraballeda, La Guaira, after 86 hours by an international team, an operation noted by El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele. In the same region, an 11-year-old boy was also rescued, but others were not so fortunate.

German relief mission

A 48-member team from Germany’s Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) landed in Caracas in the early hours of Saturday. By Sunday morning they had begun searching a site where a survivor was believed to be trapped, using sniffer dogs and acoustic detection devices. The unit is working in shifts to cover the site continuously.

“With their fine noses, they can locate survivors under the debris.”

The deployment, funded by the German foreign ministry and transported by the Bundeswehr, included ten doctors, seven search dogs and 28.5 tonnes of equipment. Four A400M aircraft left Wunstorf on Friday; a fifth followed on Saturday carrying Malteser relief supplies.

A footballer’s loss

Among the thousands of personal tragedies, Argentine midfielder Lucas Trejo, 38, lost his wife and two children, aged five and seven, when their building in Playa Grande collapsed. Trejo, who plays for second-division Sport Marítimo La Guaira, had been searching the wreckage since Wednesday. Their bodies were recovered on Saturday.

“I pray to God for the eternal rest of the deceased.”