LA GUAIRA, Venezuela, 27 June. - (ANA) — The death toll of Venezuela’s earthquakes rose to 1,430 on Saturday, officials said. The latest figures were released as rescuers continued the search for survivors of the one-two punch of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that devastated the South American nation three days earlier. Families had reported at least 68,900 people missing as of Saturday morning.

 

Venezuelans looking for loved ones and neighbors used shovels, heavy equipment, ropes and bare hands atop mounds of toppled concrete throughout La Guaira, one of Venezuela’s hardest-hit states.

 

Most of those digging were civilians who took search efforts into their own hands, and tensions spiked over an inadequate response from the Venezuelan government, whose soldiers, firefighters, police and military cadets were evidently underprepared to respond to the tragedy.

 

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela (AP) — The increasingly desperate search for survivors i n Venezuela entered a third day Saturday as people dug through the rubble of collapsed homes and apartment buildings after the devastating one-two punch of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes, knowing time is running out.

 

Venezuelans looking for loved ones and neighbors used shovels, heavy equipment, ropes and bare hands atop mounds of toppled concrete throughout La Guaira, one of Venezuela’s hardest-hit states.

 

Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours as crucial for retrieving people alive, though that can be extended if they have access to food and water.

 

Most of those digging were civilians who took search efforts into their own hands, citing the lack of state presence.

 

However, a growing number of international rescue teams were joining the effort to save lives nearly 72 hours after the quake.

 

The toll of Wednesday’s quakes stood at at least 920 dead and more than 51,000 missing on Friday. People reported seeing few state rescue teams in the hardest-hit areas despite authorities projecting an image of a robust government response.

 

In Catia La Mar, Ezequiel Frontado peered down at dozen bodies lying on the street Saturday morning, covered with blankets that neighbors and rescuers had recovered from the rubble of nearby collapsed buildings. He was searching to see if any were his missing relatives.

 

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said on state television Saturday that more than 14,000 members of the military and police are patrolling the area, where access is now blocked and special permits are required to enter.

 

More rescue teams sent by governments across the world arrived in Venezuela on Saturday.

 

Simón Bolívar International Airport, which serves Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, was badly damaged in the quake. One runway was operational on Saturday as U.S. teams worked to repair the crucial throughway, said Jeremy Lewin, a senior State Department official in charge of foreign assistance told reporters.  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/27 June 2026 - - -